FC Tulsa earned a 4-1 victory on the road against Las Vegas Lights FC at Cashman Field on Saturday night as Taylor Calheira notched two goals, Alex Dalou recorded a goal and assist and Stefan Lukić also found the net in Tulsa’s first multi-goal performance of the USL Championship campaign.

Here are three things we took away from the contest.

1. Tulsa Turned Defensive Pressure into Attacking Success

The first meeting this season between FC Tulsa and Las Vegas Lights FC offered a classic contrast in styles as the Lights looked to use possession in its own half to pick its way through Tulsa’s defensive pressure to set up one-on-one opportunities further up the field. Over the opening 45 minutes of the night, Tulsa held a clear upper hand, and it turned that advantage into a trio of goals that set the side on the way to a strong bounce-back victory after its setbacks last weekend to Oakland Roots SC and against Phoenix Rising FC in the U.S. Open Cup in midweek.

Tulsa’s high line of pressure didn’t result in many turnovers in Las Vegas’ defensive third, but it set up its midfield led by Boubacar Diallo to turn over possession consistently, resulting in pressure the visitors were able to convert. In the opening half, the Scissortails outfield players recorded more interceptions, tackles won and recoveries in the Las Vegas half, with Diallo ending the game with eight recoveries and two interceptions while right-sided wingback Harvey St. Clair won 3 of 4 tackles and 6 of 7 duels while also picking up five recoveries. That kept the Lights pinned in their own half, and let Tulsa get downhill quickly after they won possession, the opening two goals being prime examples.

2. Taylor Calheira Bounced Back in Fine Style

You could have forgiven Taylor Calheira to have been feeling a little bit down on his luck after Wednesday night’s elimination from the U.S. Open Cup. Offered the chance to put his side ahead from the penalty stop deep in the second period of extra time, his effort was denied by Phoenix Rising goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky, who then went on to make another key save in the shootout to send the 2023 Championship title-winners through.

If anything, though, the 22-year-old rebounded in outstanding fashion with his first two-goal game in the USL Championship, including a confident penalty kick that came off his own clever piece of play to bring the opportunity about. Receiving the ball about 30 yards from goal in the left channel, Calheira showed the ball to Lights midfielder Rory O’Driscoll and used a quick first step to break forward. The move baited O’Driscoll into a rash challenge in the penalty area and allowed Calheira to convert and double the visitors’ lead. Adding a second midway through the second half when the Lights were starting to gain a foothold cemented Tulsa’s lead, allowing the side to see out the result in confident fashion.

3. The Opening Goal Has Become Critical for Las Vegas Lights

There’s no real way to sugarcoat this – Las Vegas Lights cannot afford to live of their second-half performances. For a sixth consecutive league contest, the Lights were held scoreless in the first half and while the halftime adjustments Head Coach Antonio Nocerino made in bringing on Johnny Rodriguez up front and dropping Valentin Noël into a position where he could get on the ball more consistently, it was never going to be enough to overcome the three-goal deficit the side faced.

It's not just that the Lights aren’t scoring in the first half. It’s that they’re not creating chances. The side ranks last in the league with 18 shots in the opening frame of games – an average of three per contest – and while it’s not last in shots on target due to Hartford’s struggles, it’s still off the pace, only testing the goalkeeper on eight occasions. Las Vegas has yet to drop a point when it has led this season, which is a major plus and shows how the side can defend a lead, but it’s yet to gain a point from a contest in which it has trailed. That needs to change sooner rather than later.