TULSA – Taylor Calheira nets the lone goal of the night on a PK as FC Tulsa defeats Tulsa Athletic in the First Round of the U.S. Open Cup.
The rematch of the 2023 U.S. Open Cup Second Round, between FC Tulsa and Tulsa Athletic, got off to a slow start and got a bit chippy before the whistle blew for halftime. FC Tulsa held 57% of possession and had eight shots in the first 45 minutes.
Tulsa Athletic recorded their first shot on target in the 10th minute of play but goalkeeper Johan Peñaranda dealt with it easily. The next five minutes saw a slurry of fouls between both teams, with ten total fouls committed. Things got chippy in the box between the sides during stoppage time, after a Tulsa Athletic corner kick but ultimately no cards came from the ordeal.
Both teams were looking for a goal to propel them to the next round of the U.S. Open Cup and things remained chippy in the second half. A foul committed by Gustavo Vargas, which resulted in his second yellow card of the night, Tulsa Athletic played the remaining 25 minutes a man down.
The lone goal of the night came off a PK from FC Tulsa newcomer, Taylor Calheira. FC Tulsa was awarded the penalty kick after a handball was called on Tulsa Athletic. Calheira stepped up to the spot and sent the ball into the bottom right corner past a diving goalkeeper.
Johan Peñaranda easily dealt with all five shots put up by Tulsa Athletic to keep his third clean sheet of the 2025 season.
FC Tulsa awaits the draw for Round Two of the U.S. Open Cup to see who they will face, but the squad return to ONEOK Field for three more home matches. The first of the three is Saturday, March 22nd against North Carolina FC. Kickoff is at 7pm.
Goals:
84’ TUL – T. Calheira (PK)
Cards:
8’ TUL: G. Colli
45+3’ Athletic: G. Vargas
45+4’ TUL: O. Damm
66’ Athletic: G. Vargas (Red Card)
76’ TUL: L. Batista
Lineups:
TUL: Johan Peñaranda, Arthur Rogers, Delentz Pierre, Lamar Batista, Owen Damm, Marcos Cerato, Boubacar Diallo, Giordano Colli, Alex Dalou, Taylor Calheira, Kalil ElMedkhar
(Subs Used: E. Laszo, S. Stojanovic, S. Lukic, H. St Clair, A. Cissoko)
TBR: Jakub Grzesiak, Alejandro Chavez, Jonathan Harris, Gustavo Vargas, Joseph Ruiz, Tweneboa Kodua, Tommy Lamb, Juan Moreno, Danny Flores, Ciaran Winters, Aboudakr Diallo
(Subs Used: R. Torres, M. Cashion, J. Bonilla)Next Up: FC Tulsa continues its regular-season home stretch on Saturday, March 22, as it takes on North Carolina FC. The match will feature a samurai slap bracelet giveaway to the first 1,000 fans in attendance.
