Box Score SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — On Sunday, In the final home soccer game played on Forest Meadows Field, the freshmen-dominated Dominican University of California men's soccer team turned in a memorable performance.

Playing against an experienced Notre Dame de Namur University team with 10 seniors and that brought a five-game winning streak in which it outscored its opponents 12-1, the young Penguins (4-13-1/3-8-1) gave the Argonauts (12-6-0/8-4-0) all they could handle in a 3-0 defeat.

Dominican, outshot 27-5 and outscored 5-0 the last time it played NDNU in Belmont on Oct. 18, played even and at times outplayed the Argonauts for all but six minutes in the first half. Unfortunately, NDNU scored twice in that span – a goal by junior Armando Garcia less than four minutes into the contest and another by senior Cristobal Montes with 1:49 left before halftime.

“All of their goals were off transition and that's kind of the game we wanted to create,” said Dominican Director of Soccer Jon Delano. “We wanted to be able to get out on the counter attack and I thought we were very effective with it in the first half. They caught us twice on transitions unfortunately. We were dangerous in the first half.”

In between the Argos' first two goals, the Penguins applied the pressure. Sophomore David Mendez set up Rafael Garcia for a hard shot that Argos goalkeeper Isiah Castro came out to save. Then, three minutes later, Mendez headed a crossing pass by freshman Nuri Bon-Acosta into the side of the net on the far post.

Dominican continued to apply pressure. Mendez megged the ball between the legs of NDNU senior Scott Sweetham that created a run that led to another Garcia shot then freshman midfielder Dale Howard launched a blistering shot that went wide left.

The Penguins kept the momentum when freshman goalkeeper Erik Anderson came up with a sensational diving save off a penalty kick by Montes following a handball call in the box on Dominican with 12:43 left in the half.

Anderson came out of the goal moments later to make another great sprawling save on senior Christian Rosales.

“Erik's been fantastic for us,” said Delano. “We were kind of flooding numbers at them and we got them into what we wanted to get. It was just unfortunate we didn't get a goal out of it.”

With six minutes left in the half, the Penguins produced their best scoring opportunity. Freshman Kolby Mitnick sent a crossing pass that Garcia shot. Castro made the save on that shot and it rebounded to Mendez but Castro scrambled to stop Mendez's shot.

Before Montes scored his goal in the final minutes, Dominican was even with NDNU in shots at seven apiece.

In the second half, when Montes scored his second goal of the game, the Penguins didn't have as many scoring chances but they almost scored a goal. Ryan Shilling had a laser shot from about 30 yards out that struck the crossbar with 14 minutes left in the game. Five minutes later, following a long ball from the back by freshman defender Cory Vanderpool, freshman Victor Robles ripped a shot wide left.

Anderson had two more great saves after that, one that he deflected over the net that denied Montes of scoring the hat trick.

Even with a freshmen-dominated lineup, the Penguins had one more win this season than last year. Of the 18 freshmen on Dominican's roster this season, 12 started at least one game. Delano started 10 frosh in the second half the last time the Penguins played NDNU.

“If you look at the way we ended the season, I felt like we were in the game today,” said Delano, who team had only four less shots (16-12) than the Argos. “The whole entire time I thought we gave them all they could handle.”

Since that last game against NDNU, the Penguins won twice, tied once and their only other loss was a 1-0 overtime loss at Humboldt State in a game they were outshot 39-7.

“The last five or six games you really saw us starting to mature and saw what we're going to be about in the future. It bodes well for us,” said Delano. “We grew up immensely this season from the start to the finish… We have nothing but positive things to look forward to.”

The Penguins will play next season on the new John F. Allen Athletics Complex and Kennelly Field, which is currently under construction immediately south of the existing grass field.