AUSTIN, Texas – Austin native Beto Avila scored his first goal for Austin Bold FC to earn the hosts a 1-1 draw with FC Tulsa on Saturday night at Bold Stadium, keeping the teams even on points in Group D as their duel for a place in the postseason continued.

The game took a little time to warm up as both sides were cautious given the stakes involved. The first serious effort on goal didn’t arrive until the 23rd minute, in fact, when a corner kick from the right by Austin’s Xavier Baez found Fabien Garcia for a headed finish that was saved by Tulsa goalkeeper Sean Lewis.

The hosts threatened again on a counterattack as Billy Forbes broke forward and laid on a pass for Alasanne Ates Diouf that Diouf fired too close to Lewis from the left side of the penalty area. The visitors then took the lead on their first real chance of the game, however, as Dario Suarez struck for his fifth goal of the season with a brilliant long-range strike from 25 yards that found the top-left corner of the net.

Bold FC almost leveled three minutes before halftime as Tulsa’s backline mistimed stepping out to try and catch Forbes offside. The Turks & Caicos international got his head onto Baez’s angled cross from the right, but Lewis produced an excellent save at point-blank range to keep the visitors on top.

Austin continued to have the better chances and in first-half stoppage time Ish Jome just curled a free kick wide of the top-right corner of the net from 25 yards out. Forbes then went close again just past the hour-mark when Sean McFarlane delivered a precise cross from the right for a first-time finish that was denied by Lewis.

Garcia had another chance after a set piece for Bold FC in the 66th minute as he got on the end of an angled cross from the left by Baez after a corner had been half-cleared but could only head into the right side-netting. With 16 minutes to go, though, Josue Soto delivered a cross from the left that fell to Avila in the right side of the penalty area, and the 19-year-old, who turned professional with the club last offseason, fired home into the left corner of the net.

Austin twice threatened late to take the lead as Forbes and Soto both had efforts from distance, but it was the visitors that had the biggest chance to grab all three points in second-half stoppage time. Working play on the right side, Christian Altamirano delivered a cross to the back post that found Suarez that Restrepo blocked out, and the rebound effort by Mfon Udoh was sent wide of the left post with the final kick of the game.

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Beto Avila, Austin Bold FC – The local standout produced a vital equalizer for the hosts after coming on as a second-half substitute and had two shots and one key pass in his limited time on the field.