OKLAHOMA CITY – OKC Energy FC tallied two first-half goals and defeated Orange County Blues FC 2-1 on Saturday at Taft Stadium. Michael Thomas opened the game’s scoring, and after Orange County’s Trevin Caesar found an equalizer three minutes later, the host Energy broke through once more. Wojciech Wojcik’s volley from 10 yards out gave OKC the 2-1 lead and the advantage held up. With the win, OKC improves to 3-1-4 at home, in the midst of a seven-game home unbeaten streak (3-0-4). Overall, Energy FC is now 7-2-7 (28 points). Orange County fell to 6-8-4 (22 points) overall and 2-5-2 on the road. 

Scoring:
22’ – OKC – Michael Thomas
25’ – OC – Trevin Caesar (Mats Bjurman) 
34’ – OKC – Wojciech Wojcik

Three Things That Mattered:

• 1. What proved to be the game-winning goal came on a short corner kick in the 34th minute, which was played back and whipped in toward the far right post. The 50-50 ball struck a Blues player and popped out toward the penalty spot, where Wojcik was there to volley into the right of the frame for a 2-1 lead. It was Wojcik’s third goal of the season, which ties him for the team lead with Coy Craft.

• 2. The two teams exchanged goals within a three-minute span earlier in the first half. Energy FC’s Danni Konig did a brunt of the work to set up the game’s first goal in the 22nd minute, maneuvering around his defender down the left side and crossing the ball in for a half shot/cross that goalkeeper Joshua COhen couldn’t handle. The ball trickled free toward the goal line and Michael Thomas made sure it crossed as he rushed in to finish for a 1-0 lead. The lead was short-lived as the Blues responded with Mats Bjurman finding plenty of space to cross the ball in from the left and connect with Trevin Caesar, who finished for his fourth goal of the season in the 25th minute to tie the score at 1-1.

• 3. Missed opportunities have been the OKC mantra, and Energy FC could have stretched its lead when Sebastian Dalgaard drew a penalty kick in the second half against the Blues’ Andrae Campbell. Dalgaard stepped up to the spot in the 62nd minute and he pushed the shot wide left. No doubt that brings back the recent memory of the missed chances that Danni Konig had when he had two penalty kick chances against Rio Grande Valley FC, only to have one saved and the other miss the frame en route to a scoreless draw on July 2. As for Orange County’s missed chances, the Blues were absent the services of Didier Crettenand, and that certainly played a significant role. The Blues did have a good stretch in the 51st and 52nd minutes, but Cody Laurendi made a key save on Caesar and then Kalen Ryden made a goal-line clearance on another shot one minute later.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:
TBD

Upcoming Games:
OKC Energy FC vs. Tulsa Roughnecks FC – July 23, 8:30 p.m. ET, Taft Stadium
Orange County Blues FC at Swope Park Rangers – July 23, 8:30 p.m. ET, Children’s Mercy Victory Field at Swope Soccer Village