Tulsa Roughnecks FC came out strong in the opening moments of the match as they pounced on their first chance in the 7th minute. Running onto a perfectly weighted through ball, Roughnecks captain Juan Pablo Caffa got behind Republic FC's defense on the left wing. Caffa drew Republic FC keeper Dominik Jakubek out just a step before sliding the ball across the face of goal to an unmarked Joey Calistri. The midfielder calmly slotted a one-touch left-footed strike past a slow recovering Republic FC defense and Jakubek for the early 1-0 lead.

Republic FC equalized in the 29th minute in the form of a left-footed strike from captain Danny Barrera. The ball was played into the box and forward Sammy Ochoa was able to control it and lay it off for a charging Barrera. The midfielder took the chance in stride and beat Roughnecks keeper Fabián Cerda for the equalizer.

Republic FC wasted no time in jumping ahead in the 31st minute when defender James Kiffe was able to find Ochoa on a near post run. The big forward used his size to seal off the defender as he sent the flick header past a diving Cerda for the 2-1 lead. The two goals in three minutes broke a streak of 592 minutes without a goal for Republic FC in USL play.

The Roughnecks would find an equalizer of their own in the 67th minute. Republic FC defender Julius James was called for a handball in the box and Tulsa was awarded a penalty kick. The captain, Caffa, stepped up to the spot and coolly put his shot past a diving Jakubek who had guessed right.

Republic FC would pull ahead again in the 77th minute, this time for good, as Republic FC would score directly off of a Barrera corner kick. Barrera sent a left-footed, out-swinging corner into the box to find an aerial Chris Christian. The defender skied over everyone and sent a powerful header on frame. The Roughnecks defense was able to get a deflection on the shot but it was too powerful and ended up in the back of the net, giving the home side a 3-2 victory and a much needed 3 points.

“I’m delighted with the fight“, said Republic FC Head Coach and Technical Director Paul Buckle. “It was a must win game for us. We didn’t start the game well enough but we showed great character and scored 3 goals.“

Republic FC will hit the road again for a match against Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Sunday, May 28.  Kickoff is 2 p.m. at Starfire Stadium.  The match will be broadcast live on CW31. 

Sacramento Republic FC 3:2 Tulsa Roughnecks FC

USL Match

Papa Murphy’s Park – Sacramento, CA

May 20, 2017 – Attendance: 11,569 (sellout)

Scoring Summary: TUL – Joey Calistri (Juan Pablo Caffa) 7, Juan Pablo Caffa (penalty) 67; SAC – Danny Barrera (Sammy Ochoa) 29, Sammy Ochoa (James Kiffe) 31, Chris Christian (Danny Barrera) 74

Misconduct Summary: TUL – Francisco Ugarte (caution) 42; SAC – Emrah Klimenta (caution) 45, Dominik Jakubek (caution) 67, Trevin Caesar (caution) 77

Tulsa Roughnecks FC – Fabian Cerda; Kosuke Kimura, Jorge Luis Corrales, Francisco Ugarte, Modou Jadama, Bradley Bourgeois (Brady Ballew 87), Paris Gee (Cristian Mata 79), Juan Pablo Caffa, Joey Calistri, Joaquin Rivas (Pasha Kondrakhin 83), Ian Svantesson.

Subs Not Used: Bryan Byars, Collin Fernandez, Jaime Ayala, Matej Dekovic.

Stats: Shots: 9, Shots on Goal: 3, Saves: 5, Fouls: 17, Corner Kicks: 3, Offside: 0

Sacramento Republic FC – Dominik Jakubek; Emrah Klimenta, Chris Christian, Julius James (Tyler Blackwood 79), Elliott Hord, James Kiffe, Jeremy Hall, Agustin Cazarez, Danny Barrera, Harry Williams (Wilson Kneeshaw 71), Sammy Ochoa (Trevin Caesar 57).

Subs Not Used: Evan Newton, Daniel Trickett-Smith, Gabe Gissie, Enrique Montano.

Stats: Shots: 16, Shots on Goal: 8, Saves: 1, Fouls: 16, Corner Kicks: 3, Offside: 3