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Tulsa’s Two for Two
Rio Grande Valley FC faced the Tulsa Roughnecks last weekend, already the second matchup in the early part of this season. The result was the same both times, 1-0 victories for the Roughnecks.
Borja Angoitia kept Tulsa off the board in the first half, with a point blank save, followed by a sliding stop from Kai Greene. The best chance for RGVFC came on a cross from Jose Escalante to Christian Lucatero, whose header went just wide.
The lone goal of the match was a rocket strike by Jamie Ayala in the second half. Angoitia again held Tulsa at 1, with a last second reaction save to deny a great shot. Escalante was involved in the best chance of the second half for the Toros as well. He struck a free kick beautifully, but it ricocheted off the crossbar. Kyle Murphy did too much dribbling in the box on another good opportunity later in the half.
Ballin’ Bulls:
Dynamo Theory’s Man of the Match Borja Angoitia: The Spanish goalkeeper did allow the lone score of the match, but he also kept the Toros close with a pair of last second saves.
Christian Lucatero: In his first start, Luca showed why Dynamo fans are excited about him as a prospect. He was creative with the ball, and almost knocked in a header, but it went just wide.
Jose Escalante: On loan from the Houston Dynamo, Escalante set up Lucatero’s near miss, and also knocked a beautiful free kick off the post.
Talkin’ Toros:
Borja Angoitia on the importance of getting back on track this week: “It's huge, I think it has the capability to turn our season around, and will definitely show the character that this team has.”
The Good Guys: Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (2-3-0)
Last match was the third time RGVFC was shut out in their five matches this season. They did not create a lot of dangerous chances in this one, but Escalante and Lucatero were both positive impact players. It was a great sign to see Lucatero get the start, a young player that hasn’t received much time. Joe Holland saw his first Toros’ minutes on loan from Houston.
Camilo Monroy was not in action last week, and will hopefully be back this week. His impact is hard to miss when you watch the Toros, with and without him.
The Bad Guys: OKC Energy FC (1-2-1)
Yes, another club we already faced. The Toros earned their first win of the season when they beat OKC at Taft Stadium on 4/8. A Calle Brown saved penalty, and a Ruben Luna penalty kick were the difference. The match also saw two Energy players sent off, as well as Victor Garza for RGVFC.
Before having this past week off, the Energy got their first win of the season, topping Sacramento Republic 1-0, on a ridiculous goal that was #1 on SportsCenter’s Top 10.