OC continued their trend of having an all-new starting eleven on Saturday, as Charlie Asensio made his OCSC debut at left-back, while Thomas Amang got his first start of the season. In a stop-start half due to a handful of injuries and bookings for both sides, Orange County looked dominant.
The boys in orange finally started the match on the front foot, getting into FC Tulsa's final third a handful of times within the first 10 minutes. Sofiane Djeffal took the first chance of the evening after receiving the ball in the middle of the pitch; he took a few touches toward the top of the box and attempted a shot from distance. It curved toward the corner of the net, but Tulsa's goalkeeper, Michael Creek, made a diving save to keep things level.
Despite Orange County missing two huge pieces from their back line due to the injury, the defense, anchored by Andrew Fox, held firm incredibly well in the first half, keeping Tulsa from making any dangerous attempts on goal.
In the 20th minute, a quick series of passes between Kevin Partida, Djeffal, and Ashish Chattha at the half line opened a clear path for Cameron Dunbar to receive it and make an excellent run toward the box. Dunbar showed off his skill with the ball at his feet, dribbling circles around his opposition. From the edge of the 18 yard box, he placed his shot, aiming for the far post. For a moment, looked as if it had enough curve to find the top corner but, unfortunately, went wide.
Although it didn’t result in a goal, the strategy of intelligent passing through the midfield created some of the best open play by the squad so far this season.
But OC continued, and their passing finally paid off in the 27th minute, as Djeffal broke the deadlock. Brian Iloski and Chattha created some space in the middle through quick passing, finding Djeffal, who juked two defenders with a spin and surged forward into the box. Tulsa tried to close him down, but he opened the space for a shot with a quick touch to his right. Djeffal fired, and while Creek got a hand on it, the strike was too powerful to be stopped.
Orange County tried to keep pushing for another goal before the half ended, really driving the pace of play on Tulsa’s side of the pitch. However, the away side's defense kept OCSC from finding room for another clear shot on target.
But FC Tulsa also threatened. Justin Portillo sent the ball toward the far post, which was headed on target. Shutler looked ready to save the attempt, but Ashton Miles took no chances and cleared it away.
Just before the break, Asensio went down with an injury to his upper body after colliding with Bradley Bourgeois. The fullback received treatment before heading off the pitch with the medical staff.
SECOND HALF
OC made one, seemingly enforced change, as Ethan Zubak replaced Asensio. The change bolstered the offense a little more, and pushed Chattha back into the left-back position he was in last week.
Amang quickly earned his team a free kick after being fouled by Patrick Seagrist. Djeffal took the free kick, and although the initial attempt looked to have been stopped by the Tulsa defense, Partida took back possession on the left side and found Dunbar at the top of the box, who forced another good save from Creek to keep the score at 1-0.
For the first 10 minutes of the second half, OCSC looked just as in control as they did in the first, pressing constantly in the attack. However, Tulsa found their groove in the 55th minute when a fantastic cross was sent to Boubacar Diallo. He had tons of space in the box and found the time to test Shutler, but Shutler was able to parry the shot away from danger.
Although Tulsa was starting to take control of the attack, all three forwards combined to create an excellent chance on goal in the 60th minute. Zubak won a physical battle on the right side by heading the ball to Amang, who quickly laid it off back to Zubak, who fired a cross in to Dunbar, who headed just wide of the target.
As the half went on, Tulsa FC had a couple of really dangerous attacks. Shutler palmed away another effort before Owen Lambe got involved with another, cutting out another chance on goal for the visitors.
This attacking pressure from Tulsa would continue until the end of the match; however, the visitors never came closer than a stoppage time header from Nathan Worth. The midfielder read a cross incredibly well, but glanced his header wide of the far post. After a final, comfortable save for Shutler, the referee blew for full-time and OC claimed all three points.
OVERVIEW
If only looking at the first half, this was the best Orange County SC has looked all season. They leaned into their strengths from last season, with a prolific midfield that could pass all around the opposition and a defensive line that stopped anything from challenging their goalkeeper. Luckily, the first-half strength was all they needed to earn all three points this week. Even though the boys in orange and black lost some of the control in the second half, FC Tulsa could not capitalize to find an equalizer..
Sofiane Djeffal and Cameron Dunbar both looked strong in the attack this week, showing that each player may be finding their place within the squad in 2024. On the other end of the pitch, Andrew Fox quietly had a solid game, and Colin Shutler broke some club records on Saturday in both shutouts (14) and wins (19).
The team will return to the road next week to face Memphis 901 FC on Saturday, April 1st, at 1:00 p.m. PST.