San Antonio FC (10-2-3) fell to FC Tulsa (4-2-7) 0-1 at ONEOK Field on Saturday night. A stoppage-time goal from Eric Bird earned the hosts the victory as SAFC suffered just its second loss of the season.
“I think the biggest takeaway for us is the number of chances we created and how we didn’t put any in the back of the net,” said SAFC Head Coach Alen Marcina. “We have to be more ruthless. We had six or seven clear cut chances, and we have to put one of those in the back of the net.
“It could have been a lopsided game in our favor if we buried our opportunities. That’s what we will learn. All we can do is learn, progress and make sure we are ready for Austin.”
The match was tight the entire night as SAFC and Tulsa recorded 15 and 14 shots respectively, while both recorded six shots on target. The lone goal of the match came in the dying moments after a clearance from the SAFC defense landed at Bird’s feet near the top of the box, from where the midfielder shot to take the late lead.
SAFC goalkeeper Matthew Cardone recorded five saves on the night, which ties for his highest save count in a single match this season. The San Antonio native added one claim and two punches en route to an 83 percent save success rate on the night.
San Antonio native Ethan Bryant made his season debut after re-joining the club on Sept. 18. Bryant was the first player to join the SAFC first team from the SAFC Pro Academy Elite Training program during the 2018 season.
San Antonio FC will return to USL Championship action on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. as the team travels to take on Austin Bold FC in their final match of the regular season.
Scoring Summary:
FC Tulsa: 1-0, Eric Bird 90’
Disciplinary Summary:
FC Tulsa: Yellow Card (Lebo Moloto) 59’
FC Tulsa: Yellow Card (Dario Suarez) 61’
FC Tulsa: Yellow Card (Ariel Martinez) 63’
Attendance: 3,381
SAFC Starting XI: GK: Matthew Cardone; D: Connor Maloney, Callum Montgomery, Mitchell Taintor, Joshua Yaro, Blake Smith; M: Jose Gallegos (Ethan Bryant 71’), Cristian Parano (Gonzalo Di Renzo 86’), PC; F: Luis Solignac, Jordan Perruzza (Ignacio Bailone 56’)
Substitutions not used: Carlos Mercado, Hunter Gorskie, Liam Doyle, Leo Torres
Postgame Notes:
- San Antonio FC lost for just the second time in 2020…with the result SAFC defeated every Group D opponent both home and away except for FC Tulsa…SAFC is now 6-3-3 all-time against FC Tulsa
- SAFC goalkeeper Matthew Cardone made five saves in the loss, tying his season-high in 2020…Cardone saved 83.0 percent of shots faced and also recorded two punches
- San Antonio FC forward Jordan Perruzza recorded a team-high five shots while adding two shots on target…six SAFC players recorded at least two key passes in the match
- SAFC midfielder Ethan Bryant made his return to the field for SAFC, making his season debut as a second-half substitute…Bryant completed all four of his passes and recorded one shot on the night in 18 minutes
San Antonio FC (10-2-3) fell to FC Tulsa (4-2-7) 0-1 at ONEOK Field on Saturday night. A stoppage-time goal from Eric Bird earned the hosts the victory as SAFC suffered just its second loss of the season.
“I think the biggest takeaway for us is the number of chances we created and how we didn’t put any in the back of the net,” said SAFC Head Coach Alen Marcina. “We have to be more ruthless. We had six or seven clear cut chances, and we have to put one of those in the back of the net.
“It could have been a lopsided game in our favor if we buried our opportunities. That’s what we will learn. All we can do is learn, progress and make sure we are ready for Austin.”
The match was tight the entire night as SAFC and Tulsa recorded 15 and 14 shots respectively, while both recorded six shots on target. The lone goal of the match came in the dying moments after a clearance from the SAFC defense landed at Bird’s feet near the top of the box, from where the midfielder shot to take the late lead.
SAFC goalkeeper Matthew Cardone recorded five saves on the night, which ties for his highest save count in a single match this season. The San Antonio native added one claim and two punches en route to an 83 percent save success rate on the night.
San Antonio native Ethan Bryant made his season debut after re-joining the club on Sept. 18. Bryant was the first player to join the SAFC first team from the SAFC Pro Academy Elite Training program during the 2018 season.
San Antonio FC will return to USL Championship action on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. as the team travels to take on Austin Bold FC in their final match of the regular season.
Scoring Summary:
FC Tulsa: 1-0, Eric Bird 90’
Disciplinary Summary:
FC Tulsa: Yellow Card (Lebo Moloto) 59’
FC Tulsa: Yellow Card (Dario Suarez) 61’
FC Tulsa: Yellow Card (Ariel Martinez) 63’
Attendance: 3,381
SAFC Starting XI: GK: Matthew Cardone; D: Connor Maloney, Callum Montgomery, Mitchell Taintor, Joshua Yaro, Blake Smith; M: Jose Gallegos (Ethan Bryant 71’), Cristian Parano (Gonzalo Di Renzo 86’), PC; F: Luis Solignac, Jordan Perruzza (Ignacio Bailone 56’)
Substitutions not used: Carlos Mercado, Hunter Gorskie, Liam Doyle, Leo Torres
Postgame Notes:
- San Antonio FC lost for just the second time in 2020…with the result SAFC defeated every Group D opponent both home and away except for FC Tulsa…SAFC is now 6-3-3 all-time against FC Tulsa
- SAFC goalkeeper Matthew Cardone made five saves in the loss, tying his season-high in 2020…Cardone saved 83.0 percent of shots faced and also recorded two punches
- San Antonio FC forward Jordan Perruzza recorded a team-high five shots while adding two shots on target…six SAFC players recorded at least two key passes in the match
- SAFC midfielder Ethan Bryant made his return to the field for SAFC, making his season debut as a second-half substitute…Bryant completed all four of his passes and recorded one shot on the night in 18 minutes
