Lamar Batista earns Team of the Week after FC Tulsa win

Lamar Batista turned one set piece into a statement and a Team of the Week selection, heading in FC Tulsa’s second goal in a 2-0 win over Monterey Bay FC at ONEOK Field on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. It was Batista’s first goal of the regular season, and it came from Jamie Webber’s free kick, the kind of delivery that gives Tulsa a different route to win tight Western Conference games.

The timing mattered as much as the finish. Logan Dorsey opened the scoring and Batista closed it out, giving Tulsa a result that steadied the club after the kind of matchup that can hinge on one dead ball. Webber made the Team of the Week starting XI, Batista landed on the bench list, and the pair finished with the most touches for FC Tulsa across last week’s two matches, a sign that Tulsa is leaning harder on players who can both control possession and decide games from set pieces.

Batista’s week was built on more than the goal. FC Tulsa said he finished with 13 clearances and 11 duels won across the two matches, numbers that fit the profile of a center back who changes games at both ends. That is not new territory for him. Batista was a 2025 USL Championship All-League Second Team selection, and he finished second among all Championship players in clearances last season with 203, including postseason play. The header against Monterey Bay was his first goal of the 2026 campaign, but his value has always started with the defensive work that keeps Tulsa on the front foot long enough to attack set pieces.

The win also carried real weight in the standings. It was the first of five straight league home matches for FC Tulsa, and it moved the club into the top three in the Western Conference. Monterey Bay’s three-game winning streak ended with the loss, and the defeat left it winless in 19 straight away league matches. Tulsa also completed the season sweep, extending its all-time run against Monterey Bay to eight unbeaten matches, with Monterey Bay’s last point in the series dating to July 13, 2024.