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Switchbacks Battle Back to Beat Roughnecks

By COLTON CORESCHI - colton.coreschi@uslsoccer.com, 10/14/17, 10:10PM EDT

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Four unanswered goals lifted Colorado Springs after early deficit


Photo Courtesy of Lori Scholl/Tulsa Roughnecks FC

TULSA, Okla. – Tulsa Roughnecks FC will be in the USL Cup Playoffs, but was unable to secure sixth place as it fell to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 4-2 on Saturday night at ONEOK Field. The match was end-to-end from the start, with the teams blazing back and forth down the field. The best opportunity of the first 25 minutes came as a bouncing shot from Tulsa's Jonathan Levin was parried by Switchbacks goalkeeper Moise Pouaty and a rebound from Joey Calistri was put into the back of the net, but was judged offside. The stalemate was finally broken in the 29th minute when Tulsa's Jaime Ayala brought down a ball over the top from Juan Pablo Caffa with a deft touch, turned and fired across goal into the left side of the net. The Roughnecks added a second just six minutes later as Caffa played another wonderful ball into the feet of Christian Thierjung, who'd coolly finish it into the bottom-left corner. The goals kept coming as Colorado Springs pulled one back in the 38th minute when Kevaughn Frater popped a cross from Josh Suggs into the air for a half-volleyed finish into the bottom-right corner. The scoring frenzy continued when the Switchbacks leveled before halftime as Suggs received a pass from Pascal Eboussi and cut it back for Jordan Burt to finish into an open net. The second half brought no respite from the Switchbacks onslaught, and Burt got his second as his aggressive press resulted in a blocked clearance from Tulsa's Bryan Byars, which bounced kindly in front of him and left him with an open-net finish to give the Switchbacks a 3-2 advantage in the 46th minute. Colorado Springs extended its lead in the 66th minute as Frater curled a free kick from just outside the penalty area beyond the reach of Byars to extend the Switchbacks' lead. The match cooled down for the last half-hour, but the Switchbacks held firm defensively and earned a victory to end the season on a positive.

Scoring:
29' – TUL – Jaime Ayala (Juan Pablo Caffa)
35' – TUL – Christian Thierjung (Juan Pablo Caffa)
38' – COS – Kevaughn Frater (Josh Suggs)
45' – COS – Jordan Burt (Josh Suggs)
56' – COS – Jordan Burt
66' – COS – Kevaughn Frater

Three Things That Matter

  • 1. The match represented a missed opportunity for the Roughnecks, who could've secured sixth place with a win Saturday night. Instead, they'll be watching and waiting as the OKC Energy FC and Sacramento Republic FC finish their final matches of the regular season to learn where they'll finish and who their Western Conference Quarterfinals opponent will be.

  • 2. The Switchbacks entered already eliminated from playoff contention, but as winners of their last two the side played with the reckless abandon of a spoiler. As a result, they closed out the 2017 season on an uplifting note and a three-match winning streak. While it was too little, too late for the Switchbacks, it leaves the team with several positives to take into 2018 that'll hopefully turn a ninth-place finish into a return to the USL Cup Playoffs next season.

  • 3. The final match of the regular season for these two teams was a thriller. After Tulsa scored two goals in six minutes to take a 2-0 lead, Colorado Springs battled back with two goals in 10 minutes to equalize and ended up scoring four unanswered to take a 4-2 win. It leaves the Roughnecks backing into the playoffs with just one win and three losses in their last four matches.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Jordan Burt, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC  – A brace from Burt keyed the victory as the defender first equalized late in the first half and then handed the visitors the win after the break.

Upcoming Games:
Tulsa Roughnecks FC 
– Western Conference Quarterfinals, TBA
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC – End of Season

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