SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — A goal in the 70th minute seemed to assure the Dominican University of California men's soccer team of its first win of the season on Saturday but visiting PacWest opponent, California Baptist, scored twice in the final two minutes to dash the Penguins' hopes.
Both teams had their opportunities in the first half. In the 25th minute, the Penguins (0-7-0/0-2-0 PacWest) played a ball near the left corner flag like a corner and it nearly backfired. A low pass was intercepted and CBU (2-5-1/1-1-0 PacWest) ran the field but Julian Ekeze's shot from point-blank range sailed high.
The Penguins had a good transition of their own in the 51st minute as
Colin Gunby brought the ball upfield but
Micah Alo was flagged for being offisde. The Penguins broke through in the 70th minute when junior
Roberto Macias dribbled through traffic into the box and finished left-footed on the left half of the goal.
Dominican looked to have the match locked up but conservative play allowed Julian Ekeze to score from 25 yards out, tying things in the 88th minute. With under a minute left in regulation, the Lancers stunned the Penguins when Thomas Carter found Jeromy Gurule for the game-winner.
It was a tough loss for a young Penguins team that has already been made younger by season-ending injuries to veterans. Still, the Penguins managed eight shots, five on goal. The Penguins' other four shots all came from freshmen —
Micah Alo (2),
Tanner Herrero, and
Jordan Zamora. Senior goalkeeper
Patrick Rabbitt made 11 saves in the loss.
Dominican will look for its first win of the season when Holy Names comes calling on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 2:30 p.m., before the women at 12 p.m. The Dominican soccer teams will help show their commitment to the fight against pediatric cancer as they wear gold laces for Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer®, an initiative of Go 4 The Goal. All funds stay in the community where they are raised to support local children, with the funds from this match benefitting UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland. To learn more, and to donate, visit
go4thegoal.org/laceup.html. Live stats and video will be available at
dominicanathletics.com/live with live audio provided by
radio.dominican.edu. Fans are encouraged to tag their posts with .
Sept. 29 is also National Coffee Day and students, faculty, and staff are invited to "Coffee with Coffey" from 7:30 to 9 a.m. i front of Caleruega Hall. Mingle with Dominican's new soccer coaches — head women's coach
Kelly Coffey and head men's coach
Zach Kingsley. Grab a cup of coffee courtesy of Epicurean Group and doughnuts from Johnny Doughnuts and make your donation to Go 4 The Goal.
