FC Tulsa Builds On First Place Lead In The USL's Western Conference With 1-0 Victory Over Orange County SC

FC Tulsa extended its first-place lead in the USL's Western Conference with a 1-0 victory over Orange County SC on Saturday night at ONEOK Field. With the win, FC Tulsa now has an 11-point lead over second-place Sacramento. The win also pushed FC Tulsa's unbeaten streak to 14 matches, best in the USL this season.

The difference in the match came midway through the first half. In the 20th minute, Orange County's Stephen Miller received a straight red card, giving FC Tulsa a man advantage. Just four minutes later, Kalil ElMedkhar found space in front of the goal and headed home the game's only score. 

This was FC Tulsa's first shutout since June 7th, a 1-0 victory at Sacramento.

The Unbeaten Streak Continues

Thanks to Saturday night's 1-0 victory over Orange County FC, FC Tulsa is currently riding a 14-match unbeaten streak, best in the USL. That surpasses Louisville City FC's 13-match streak that started the season for the longest in the USL this year. Tulsa's last loss came at Orange County on May 3rd.

Tulsa Remains In 1st Place

Thanks to the 3 points earned on Saturday night, FC Tulsa improved its 1st place lead in the USL's Western Conference to 11 points. Tulsa improves to 12-6-3 this season, with 42 points through 21 matches. Sacramento Republic remains in 2nd place with 31 points through 19 matches. With the loss, Orange County falls to 8th place in the Western Conference.

ONEOK Field Remains A Fortress

FC Tulsa is now unbeaten at home in its last seven league matches. The last league loss at ONEOK Field was on April 12th, a 2-1 loss to Oakland Roots SC. During the 7-match unbeaten streak at home, FC Tulsa has outscored its opponents 21-11.

Player & Coach Reactions

Head Coach Luke Spencer:

“I’m proud of the way the group competed tonight. Even when the game didn’t fully go our way, the players showed resilience and found a way to get a result. That speaks to the character and depth of this squad. We know there are areas to keep improving, and that excites us heading into a big test against Colorado.”

Goalkeeper Johan Peñaranda:

“It feels great to get back to a clean sheet after so many games. That’s a staple for us as a team, and it shows the collective effort defensively. We knew it would be a tough match, but our energy was high, we stayed sharp on set pieces, and we made it difficult to break us down.”

Goalscorer Kalil ElMedkhar:

“I’m happy to get on the scoresheet, but more importantly, I’m proud of how we defended as a team. There were so many moments where guys put their bodies on the line, and even though it wasn’t always pretty, we fought together and got the result we needed.”

What's Next?

Next up, FC Tulsa hits the road to Colorado Springs on Saturday, August 30th. Kickoff is set for 8 pm. Colorado Springs is 18 points behind Tulsa in the Western Conference standings.