MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis 901 FC (13-10-8, 47 points) have confirmed their postseason seeding with its 3-2 victory over visiting FC Tulsa (13-13-5, 44 points) on a rainy Wednesday night at AutoZone Park. Memphis has locked in the three seed in the Central Division as 901 FC has one final regular season match before the 2021 USL Championship Playoffs commence.
The match started in favor of FC Tulsa as a Skylar Thomas tackle in the box led to Tulsa earning a penalty kick within the first ten minutes of the match. Marlon converted from the spot to give FC Tulsa the lead in the 8’. From there, the first half was dominated by Memphis, as the home side fired off numerous shots at Tulsa’s Wormell. The breakthrough came in the 24’ as midfielder Dre Fortune’s third shot on target found the back of the net, thanks to an assist from forward Roland Lamah—his first of the year. Just ten minutes later, midfielder Kadeem Dacres set up a special run from Mark Segbers, in which the defender took the ball down the pitch, danced around a defender and fired a shot at goal that deflected off the post and in.
Heading into the locker room with the lead, the second half saw FC Tulsa get off to a strong start, increasing possession and seeking to even the score. Tulsa would go on to find a goal in the 74’ via a deflected own goal from defender Niall Logue. The Tulsa equalizer would be short-lived, however, as Kyle Murphy scored off a low cross from Mark Segbers just over a minute after Tulsa tied the match. Memphis would go on to keep Tulsa out of the back of the net for the remainder of the match.
“We played a really good game,” Head Coach Ben Pirmann said. “We gave up that penalty early on, but we responded well with two great goals. We conceded a soft goal in the second half, but a minute later we’re back ahead. I’m just so proud of this group; it’s unbelievable what they’ve gone through and how they’ve responded.”
“This is a really tight group,” Mark Segbers said. “I think our bond as a team shows when we go down a goal, we pick each other right back up. It’s the same when we win. We’re a bunch of brothers out there, and we’re just enjoying our time together. We take it a day at a time and enjoy every moment.”
“We’re enjoying a historic run with the club,” Dre Fortune said. “As the season winds down, we’re making sure we’re in the moment and enjoying it while we’re still focused on getting those results.”
In a match of firsts, Dre Fortune recorded his first goal of the year and Roland Lamah logged his first assist of the season. Mark Segbers scored his second goal of the season and Kyle Murphy continued to rewrite the Memphis 901 FC history books with his team-leading 19th score of the season. With his assist on Mark Segbers’ 33’ goal, Kadeem Dacres recorded his eighth assist of the year—the most in a single season in club history.
With the victory, Memphis locked up the three seed in the Central Division heading into the postseason—its best finish to a regular season in its three-year history. Following its regular-season finale against Indy Eleven on Saturday, 901 FC will travel to face the second seed in the Atlantic Division, either Charlotte Independence or Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.