What a difference a week makes. Six goals, six points, one wrench and the two-biggest results of the season made Matchweek 22 one to remember. Thanks to some other results going Energy FC’s way, the Greens are now just four points off 8th place and firmly in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Looking back on last week, there are many terms one might use to describe the two performances. On Wednesday, “dominant” and “ruthless” come to mind – on Saturday, “tenacious” and “resolute”. Two matches, two different types of performances, two victories and one incredible week.

Heading into the final Black Gold Derby of 2018, reclaiming the wrench from in-state rivals Tulsa Roughnecks FC was a must. After going winless in four games since the 6-4 thriller over Las Vegas Lights FC on July 11, the Greens were desperate to get back to winning ways and take home some hardware in the process – and that’s exactly what they did.

It looked like we were destined for a scoreless first half at ONEOK Field until Tulsa goalkeeper Fabian Cerda handed Adam Jahn a gift that changed the match entirely. With just seconds remaining before halftime, Cerda tried one too many moves to unnecessarily outfox Jahn and ended up giving the ball away for the striker to pass into the empty net.

Cerda was subbed at the break for reasons not-exactly known, but it didn’t make much of a difference, as Christian Volesky put the Greens two goals to the good just four minutes after the restart – and made substitute goalkeeper Chase Gentry look a little silly in the process. What followed was an iconic celebration that will bring a smile to the faces of Energy fans for years to come.

Alex Dixon was brought down in the box half an hour later and was able to dispatch the penalty to seal the points and make sure there was no doubt where the wrench would be calling home for the next year. While winning the Black Gold Derby is always important, the biggest thing to take away from this one was that the ship had been righted and the Greens earned three big points to remain in the postseason conversation. Now, the guys needed to protect Taft Stadium and get a result against one of the best teams in the league.

On Saturday, the boys did just that. After thrashing Tulsa, the Greens picked up right where they left off and came out flying against Real Monarchs SLC. Volesky opened the scoring just 25 seconds into the match with a similar goal to the one he scored in midweek. This time, Jose Barril was the provider with a top-class flick from the halfway line that found Volesky in stride. The striker did incredibly well to control the ball and position himself ahead of the defender before calmly slotting the ball home.

In the 27th minute, Barril spotted Dixon in space and the striker did the rest to record his seventh goal of the season to go level again with Volesky for the team lead (7). Although, to be fair, one of Volesky’s goals came during his time with Saint Louis FC – against OKC in a 1-0 defeat on April 21 at Taft Stadium.

The match turned on its head early in the second half when a deflected free kick from Charlie Adams wrong-footed Cody Laurendi and found the back of the net in the 58th minute. Just two minutes later, Jack Blake leveled matters with a goal of the highest quality. Both goals came seemingly out of nothing, after the Greens had a couple of chances in the opening minutes of the second half to increase their lead.

After giving up a two-goal lead against the top team in the conference, most sides might pack it up and just try to see out a draw or even worse, crumble and go on to lose – but not this team. Energy FC were the better side on the night, and they wanted, and deserved, all three points.

In the 77th minute, Head Coach Steve Cooke made a couple of inspired substitutions that almost immediately paid off. Jon Brown and Monty Patterson replaced Volesky and Philip Rasmussen, as Cooke was clearly letting it be known that nothing short of victory would suffice. The pair combined within a minute of coming on, and had he been on the pitch a bit longer and had a few more touches, you’d bet on Brown burying the chance from the top of the box that ended up missing just wide.

Still, the Greens kept pushing, and in the 83rd minute, Barril found Monty Patterson making a run into the SLC penalty area with a perfectly-weighted chipped pass over the top of the defense. Patterson brought the ball down and smashed a left-footed volley low and hard to the far post past SLC goalkeeper Jake Leeker. What a home debut for the new signing, and you couldn’t ask for a better way to open your goal-scoring account.

Barril, Saturday’s Man of the Match, deserves a tremendous amount of praise for his performance. Not only did he have a club-record three assists, but they were three different types of assists – each one top quality, each one showcasing his exceptional vision. Coach Cooke said it best after the match, “When he’s playing like that, he’s a force to be reckoned with.” OKC’s postseason hopes will surely improve if Barril can continue to perform at this level for the remainder of the regular season.

Club captain Laurendi, despite not being called upon much against Tulsa, looked healthy and confident in his first outing since returning from a knee injury suffered last September. Although he didn't get another clean sheet against SLC, through no fault of his own, he ended the night with three saves, was commanding in the box and his distribution is still on point. Not to mention, he came up with a crucial save in the 70th minute to keep the score level.

There was another welcome return to Taft Stadium on Saturday night, as team captain Juan Pablo Guzman made his first appearance since suffering an injury in the aforementioned loss to STL in April. The crowd, who were tremendous throughout the night, welcomed Guzman back with quite the reception.

The Western Conference playoff picture looks a bit better for the good guys than it did this time last week. With LA Galaxy II taking down Fresno FC 2-1 on Friday night, STL beating Vegas 4-1, Portland Timbers 2 winning 2-0 away against the Swope Park Rangers, Tulsa upsetting Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 2-1 and Seattle Sounders FC 2 stunning San Antonio FC 3-2, the table is incredibly congested.

The results moved T2 up to 6th (36 pts), while San Antonio (34 pts) and Swope (33 pts) hold down 7th and 8th, respectively. Just outside the playoff spots in 9th-12th are STL (32 pts), COS (31 pts), Fresno (30 pts) and OKC (29 pts). So, the Greens are now just four points off a playoff spot and only seven points separate them from sixth-place Portland. It’s definitely game on in the west!

Check back here on Thursday for a preview of Energy FC’s trip south to take on Rio Grande Valley FC in Matchweek 23.