Phoenix Rising extended its unbeaten streak to five matches Saturday night, earning a 2-1 victory over FC Tulsa at 38th & Washington. Dominique Badji opened the scoring early with his third goal of the season, while Gunnar Studenhofft doubled the advantage with his second goal of the campaign. Tulsa continued to push late and found the back of the net in the 92nd minute, but Rising held on through the final whistle to secure all three points.
“I think first half we were very good. We were finding the spaces and we were utilizing the spaces. Second half, I think there was a little bit of disconnect, and we were a little bit deep, we stopped playing, which is not us. I was hoping we could have kept a clean sheet, but again, when this time of the season, you take it,” Kah said.
The magic continues at 38th & Washington next weekend as Phoenix Rising remains home to face El Paso Locomotive, the current Western Conference leader with 43 points.
HOME SWEET HOME
Phoenix Rising remains unbeaten through its last five matches following its 2-1 win over FC Tulsa. The club has also continued to establish itself as a difficult team to beat at home, improving to a 6-2-4 record at 38th & Washington. Rising has earned points in five of its last six home matches, including four wins and a draw, with its lone loss coming in June.
“Just stick to our roles, communicate, and play as a team. I feel like we’ve been doing that,” Studenhofft said. We’ve been listening to instructions from coach and going out there and executing. Everyone’s bought into it.”
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Rising continues to find contributions from across its attack, scoring nine goals over its last six matches and 34 goals overall this season. 10 different players have found the back of the net, led by Ihsan Sacko with 12 goals. Gunnar Studenhofft moved into second on the team with four goals after scoring against FC Tulsa, while Juan David Torres recorded his first goal contribution with an assist on Dominique Badji’s third goal for Phoenix Rising. Studenhofft has now contributed to three goals off the bench this USL Championship season, with two goals and one assist.
“It’s very important for the confidence of the other players if they score,” Kah said. “Today Gunner scores, Dom scores…So for the team, confidence is very important.”
GOAL-SCORING PLAYS
PHX- DOMINIQUE BADJI, 6: Left footed cross from the right wing from Torres to the back post inside landing in the 6-yard-box which was headed into the top left corner by Badji.
PHX- GUNNAR STUDENHOFFT, 88: A right footed shot from outside the box from his right foot to the bottom left corner off of a header from Tate Schmitt.
TUL- DELENTZ PIERRE, 92: A cross from inside the right side of the 18-yard-box by Wilson Eisner to a header from very close range to the top left corner by Pierre.
NOTES
- Rising enters the match on a four game unbeaten streak.
- Have scored 9 goals in its last 6 matches.
- 1-1-4 overall record against Tulsa – last meeting ended in a 1-1 draw.
- JuanDavid earned his first goal contribution for Rising (assist to Badji; 6)
- Badji scored his third goal for Rising.
- Gunnar Studenhofft has played a part in 3 goals after coming off the bench this USL Championship season (2 goals, 1 assist).
Phoenix Rising (7-7-9, 30 pts) vs. FC Tulsa (10-6-6, 36 pts)
Goals by Half: 1st: 1; 2nd: 2; FT:
Phoenix Rising: 1st: 1; 2nd: 1; FT: 2
FC Tulsa: 1st: 0; 2nd: 1; FT: 1
Scoring Summary:
PHX: BADJI, 6
PHX: STUDENHOFFT, 88
TUL: PIERRE, 94
Misconduct Summary:
PHX: Biasi, (caution); 39
TUL: Ian, (caution); 92
Lineups:
PHX: GK Rakovsky, D Biasi (Smith, 84) D Boye, D Czichos (Essengue, 75), D Flores, M Scearce, M Gomez (Studenhofft, 74) M Moursou, F Rivera (Schmitt, 45), F Badji (Pelayo, 84) F Torres
Substitutes Not Used: GK Odunze, M Irwin, D Cross, F Arase
TOTAL SHOTS: 9; SHOTS ON GOAL: 2; FOULS: 17; OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: 3
TUL: GK Jacomen, D Pierre, D Cissoko, D Ian, M Eisner, M ElMedkhar (Lukic, 45), M Wilson (Diallo, 74), M Colli, M Sangwa (Stauffer, 81), F Cabral (Dorsey, 66), F Ordonez (Sparks, 65)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Tambakis, D Batista
TOTAL SHOTS: 10; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 15; OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 0
Referee: Muhammad Hassan
Assistant Referees: Clarence Clark, Andrew Hanks
Fourth Official: Veronica Burr
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
