Box Score SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — If there is measuring stick of just how much the Dominican University of California men's soccer team has improved and matured this year, it arrived in the form of Notre Dame de Namur on Saturday.

The Penguins, who had lost their six previous Pacific West Conference games against the Argonauts while being outscored 21-2, pressed hard over the final 10 minutes to produce a game-tying goal before bowing 2-1 to the first-place Argonauts at Kennelly Field in the John F. Allen Athletics Complex. Notre Dame de Namur (9-2-1/6-1-1), ranked No. 14 in the nation in NCAA Division II last week and No. 5 in the West Region in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll, tallied both of its goals off set pieces, the game-winner on a free kick by Jesus Gonzalez with about 34 minutes left in the game.

Dominican (3-3, 7-3), led by freshman center back Chris Sennes and sophomore goalkeeper Erik Anderson, who had a season-high 16 saves, withstood a stretch after that where the Argonauts recorded 11 consecutive shots to push NDNU to the limit with a respectable outing. The Penguins came away with a feeling that they measured up well to the Argonauts.
In fact, Jon Delano, Dominican's Director of Soccer, had his players arm-lock in a circle on the field after the game to commend them on their effort.

“There's not much in moral victories but every day the guys are learning that they are good. We know it as a coaching staff and we try to tell them every single day that they are a good team but now that they are starting to see some success and they are playing against top-level teams and understand they can do this,” said Delano. “I can tell them until they are blue in the face but they need to see it and feel it. Now they are starting to feel it.”

The Penguins, playing without injured midfielder Swap Mushiana, delivered one of its best efforts of the season. Though outshot 24-5 in the game, Dominican, ranked in the top 10 of the NSCAA poll this week for the first time in the program's history, was right there at the end, trying to score the game-tying goal off a corner kick in the final minute

“NDNU did a very good job on us defensively in locking us up in some of the wide channels, “ said Delano, “but my guys competed SO hard.”

It was a far cry from Dominican's performance against NDNU in their first meeting last year when the Penguins had 10 freshmen on the field in the first half as the Argos outshot them 16-1 and outscored them 4-0 en route to a 5-0 win.
In the first half on Saturday, the game was tied 1-1 and Dominican came so close to taking a 2-1 lead.

The Argonauts scored first, off a set piece less than three minutes into the contest. Gonzalez's corner kick was headed inside the near post by Frank Barnes.

Meanwhile, the Penguins' offense, with help from midfielders Sam Vella and Fabian Valdez Mendoza,  had its dangerous moments. They scored the game-tying goal at the 10-minute mark when Pedro Guevara played a long ball down the right sideline that Kolby Mitnick retrieved and crossed to David Mendez. The junior co-captain outbattled NDNU goalkeeper Jay Tsuruoka to the ball and determinedly managed to direct it past Tsuruoka into the net.

Dominican nearly took the lead a few minutes later when Guevara executed a slick run through the Argonauts' defense and spotted Mitnick in scoring position. NDNU's defense, however, closed quickly and Mitnick's shot just went wide right of the net with Tsuruoka out of position.

The Penguins had four shots in the first half, including a crowd-pleasing bicycle kick by Mendez.

Dominican, which lost 4-1 at Fresno Pacific University on Thursday, will have a chance to avenge that loss this coming Wednesday, Oct. 10 when they host the Sunbirds at Kennelly Field in the John F. Allen Athletics Complex. Game time is 12:30 p.m. with coverage available at www.dominicanathletics.com/live.