DENTON, Texas – Tulsa Athletic erased a 2-0 deficit to even the score at 2-2, but host Denton Diablo tallied the final three goals to down the green and yellow 5-2 in the 2021 NPSL National Championship on Saturday (Aug. 7) at Denton High School.
After falling behind 2-0, Tulsa totaled back-to-back goals by Joe Garcia to make it 2-2. The captain tallied both goals for the brace. His first goal came in the 19th minute, and he added his second goal on a free kick in the 25th minute to tie the contest.
Denton regained the lead in the 39th minute to go up 3-2 after the first 45 minutes of action.
In the second half, Denton Diablo added two more goals for the 5-2 final score.
Denton’s Trevor Amann finished with three goals for the home side.
With the loss, Tulsa’s 11-match unbeaten streak was snapped dating back to May 16, 2021.
Denton Diablo won their first-ever NPSL National Championship in only their second season in the NPSL. Denton won the West Region and the Lone Star Conference.
Tulsa Athletic finishes as the NPSL National Championship runner up for the first time in club history. Along with the national runner-up finish, Tulsa captured their first-ever South Region Championship, and the club won the Heartland Conference Championship for the second straight season. The 2021 season ends as the most successful season in the nine years of the club’s history.
Joe Garcia, Joe Ruiz, Aboubakr Diallo and Head Coach Levi Coleman were named to the Heartland Conference XI. Coleman was named the NPSL National Coach of the Year and the South Region Coach of the Year.
Information on the 2022 season, the 10th in club history, will be made available in the near future.
For more information on Tulsa Athletic, go to www.tulsaathletic.com.
