Saint Louis FC won 1-0 against Tulsa Roughnecks FC in front of a sell-out crowd of 5,424 fans at Toyota Stadium in a replay of Match 19 of the USL Regular Season. The win sees Saint Louis FC extend their franchise-record home winning streak to seven games and only need a point on Saturday against OKC Energy FC to secure a playoff berth.
Saint Louis FC got on the scoresheet early as Corey Hertzog volleyed on a header from a corner kick in the 14th minute for his fourth goal of the season. STLFC goalkeeper Tomas Gomez would make a number of routine saves to preserve his franchise-record seventh clean sheet of the season and secure the win to see Saint Louis FC improve to 14-9-10 with 52 points in the USL Western Conference.
The first half saw Saint Louis FC with a majority of possession and the home side nearly opened the scoring in the 3rd minute as Albert Dikwa had his header saved by Tulsa goalkeeper Fabian Cerda following a corner kick. The opening goal would come from a corner kick a few minutes later, however, as Hertzog got on the end of Phanuel Kavita’s header following Lewis Hilton’s corner in the 14th minute. Hertzog nearly doubled his tally in the 20th minute with another header from a set piece but Cerda was there to make the save. The final chance of the half fell to Kadeem Dacres who cut inside his defender and saw his shot hit the post in the 45th minute to keep the lead at 1-0 going into the break.
The second half saw more chances fall for Hertzog, the first in the 54th minute as his volley effort went over the crossbar before going for a chip after a breakaway opportunity in the 62nd minute that was saved by Cerda. Tony Walls then had a great chance in the 76th minute from a corner kick as his header was palmed from the top corner by Cerda but Tulsa could not find a response and the game would finish 1-0.
Saint Louis FC will finish the USL Regular Season at home against OKC Energy FC on Saturday, October 13th at 7:30 p.m. CT with the team needing at least a draw to guarantee making the postseason for the first time in franchise history.
“Pleased obviously, it’s a huge win and going into tonight that was the focus,” said Head Coach Anthony Pulis. “We got the win, it’s always nice to get a shut-out too, and we keep the home streak alive, but there’s still work to do.”
UPCOMING GAMES:
Saint Louis FC vs. OKC Energy FC – Saturday, October 13th at 7:30 p.m. CT at Toyota Stadium
Tulsa Roughnecks FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC 2 – Saturday, October 13th at 7:00 p.m. CT at ONEOK Field
