MADISON, Wis. – FC Tulsa handled Forward Madison FC, 3-1, on Wednesday to advance to the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
The result extends FC Tulsa’s historic run, with five wins in their opening six matches marking the best start in franchise history. It enters its bye week donning a 5-1-0 record and a 3-1-0 mark in league play. For Forward Madison FC, it closes its fifth Open Cup campaign after beating NPSL side Duluth FC, 5-1, in the First Round.
FC Tulsa will join a host of 16 automatic USL Championship qualifiers and 16 MLS in the Third Round, with its draw to be announced at a later date.
Point-blank opportunities set the tone early, as both FC Tulsa and Forward Madison FC created chances within the first seven minutes. Four minutes in, FC Tulsa had a transition opportunity, but a lob pass intended for Kalil ElMedkhar on the left side of the penalty box sailed high and was disrupted before he could get a clean shot off. In the seventh minute, goalkeeper Bryan Dowd made an exceptional sliding block as Garrett McLaughlin broke free on the top-right edge of the penalty area, denying the attempt with a precise left-footed stop, followed by two more saves in the ninth minute.
A roller coaster run generated points for FC Tulsa as, in the 19th minute, Owen Damm played a precise ball from the right endline to Kalil ElMedkhar. His shot, attempted from the center of the box, found nylon – but the play was ruled offside. Undeterred, the team responded just three minutes later. A well-weighted ball into the flank allowed Taylor Calheira to drive his man to the left endline, where he delivered a perfect cross to a trailing Damm, who finished the play with a clinical strike in the middle of the box.
In the 31st minute, Forward Madison FC tried to build pressure in the final third, but ElMedkhar had other ideas. After his initial goal was ruled offside, he capitalized on a precise feed from Stefan Lukic to give FC Tulsa a 2-0 lead. The goal marked ElMedkhar’s first with the club, while Lukic recorded his first assist across all competitions with Tulsa.
FC Tulsa carried its momentum into the second half, and in the 51st minute, Taylor Calheira got on the scoreboard. After being fouled in the box, Calheira calmly stutter-stepped before converting a penalty kick into the bottom right corner of the net.
Nazeem Bartman closed FC Tulsa’s clean sheet attempt in the 68th minute and narrowly saw Christopher Garcia tighten the match to one – but Dowd slid and stopped the try with his left leg.
FC Tulsa played down a man for the final stretch of play as Boubacar Diallo collected his second yellow card of the match in the 88th minute. The club held strong down a man, with Dowd closing the contest with six saves.
FC Tulsa will learn its draw for the Third Round in the coming days and is set to return to league play at ONEOK Field on Saturday, April 12, against Oakland Roots SC. The club is set to celebrate Ascension St. John Night and will host a t-shirt giveaway.
Tickets for Ascension St. John Night are available here.
Goals:
21’ TUL – O. Damm
31’ TUL – K. ElMedkhar
51′ TUL – T. Calheira
68’ MAD – N. Bartman
Cards:
38’ TUL – D. Pierre
45’ (+3) TUL – S. Lukic
58’ TUL – K. ElMedkhar
72’ TUL – B. Diallo
76’ MAD – J. Murphy
88’ TUL – B. Diallo (Red Card)
92’ MAD – A. Mesias
95’ MAD – C. Garcia
Lineups:
TUL: Bryan Dowd, Lamar Batista, Delentz Pierre, Arthur Rogers, Patrick Seagrist, Giordano Colli, Marcos Cerato, Owen Damm, Kalil ElMedkhar, Taylor Calheira, Stefan Lukic
(Subs Used: B. Diallo, S. Stojanovic, A. Cissoko, H. St Clair)
MAD: Owen Finnerty, Eddie Munjoma, Jake Crull, Timmy Mehl, Ferrety Sousa, Nico Brown, José Carrera-García, John Murphy, Devin Boyce, Juan Galindrez, Garrett McLaughlin
(Subs Used: J. Dietrich, A. Mesias, C. Garcia, D. Gebhard, N. Bartman)
