WPSL: Down a player, Oklahoma City FC rallies past Lou Fusz Athletic for Midwest Conference title in battle of top 25 sides
- Dan Stickradt
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
MUSTANG, Okla. – Putting together one of the most epic comebacks in 27-year history of the Women's Premier Soccer League, Oklahoma City FC scored three unanswered goals while playing down a player in the final 27 minutes of the match with fellow unbeaten Lou Fusz Athletic Wednesday evening.
The result was sixth-ranked Oklahoma City FC rallying past No. 12-ranked Lou Fusz Athletic in the WPSL-Midwest Conference finals at Mustang High School just outside of Oklahoma City.
Both teams entered the game unbeaten and having won divisional crowns.
Oklahoma City FC finished the regular season 8-0-2 to win the Heartland Division while Lou Fusz was 7-0-1 in the regular season and claimed the Gateway Division crown.
As expected, the game ended up being a classic and went down to the wire.
U.S. Youth Nation Team player and two-time Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year Rylee McLanahan (University of Florida commit) tallied a brace to pull the game level and Narissa Fults (University of Arizona) scored the game-winner for Oklahoma City FC.
Haden Vleck (Indiana University) scored two goals for Lou Fusz Athletic.
Lou Fusz took a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute when goalkeeper Callie Sullivan (University of Oklahoma) attempted to clear a cornerkick that eventually deflected off the aforementioned Vleck and into the back of the net.
A center back, Vleck pushed the lead to 2-0 when she headed home a cornerkick by Meghan Belorse (Northern Kentucky University) in the 43rd minute to give her side a two-goal cushion at the half.
As it turned out, that lead was not enough.
Oklahoma City FC (9-0-2) finally pulled one back in the 63rd to begin its comeback. McLanahan split two backs in the box and sent a shot inside the far post to trim the deficit down to 2-1.
Oklahoma City FC’s Sullivan was sent off with a red card after handling the ball outside the box after challenging a counterattack, which left the hosts to play the final 25 minutes down a player.
Oklahoma City still continued to claw back.
Sabrina Guzman (Grand Canyon University) set the table for McLanhan with a perfectly-slotted pass into the box and McLanahan buried her chance near the far post to tie the game at 2-2 in the 80th minute.
Keeping Lou Fusz Athletic (7-1-1) on its heels down the stretch, McLanahan sent a through ball into the box and an onrushing Fultz who left no doubt with the go-ahead and game-winning goal in the 79th minute.
Oklahoma City FC, which now has a 35-7 scoring edge, six shutouts, a goals-against-average of 0.64 and a 3.19 goal-per-game average offensively, advances to the Round of 16 in the WPSL national tournament on July 12.
Lou Fusz Athletic was left with a sour taste in their collective mouths after surrendering the two-goal lead at the half. Lou Fusz still finishes with a 7-1-1 record, outscored the opposition 28-8 with five shutouts while allowing only 0.89 goals a game while averaging 3.12 goals-per-contest.
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