SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Dominican men's soccer dropped to an early deficit and was unable to complete the comeback, falling to Biola University 0-1 Saturday afternoon at Kennelly Field.
The game's only goal came off the foot of Alex Lugo. It was a battle between defenses as Biola (3-4-2, 1-0-1 PacWest) was able to land just three shots on goal, and Dominican was held to only four throughout the entire match. Eagles goalkeeper JD Gunn recorded his third win of the season, and second shutout of the year.
Two minutes and 11 seconds into the match, Biola attacked Dominican's third, and Oscar Rubalcava sent a cross to Lugo in front of goal to chip it to the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
The Penguins (1-7-1, 0-3 PacWest) looked to retaliate as they danced their way up field.
Colin Gunby received a pass beyond the box and sent a shot to the top of the net, but Gunn leaped up to punch the ball over the crossbar, for what turned out to be the save of the game.
Later in the 27
th minute,
Arturo Carrillo Contreras played keep-away from Biola's defenders at the top right corner of the box as other Penguin attackers moved into position for a cross. Carrillo Contreras drew a foul and sent the free kick flying through traffic on goal, but Gunn met the attempt and held on to send the ball in the other direction.
Majority of the match was an even-played contest between both programs, as they each fired off 10 shots a piece. It wasn't until two minutes to go in the second half when the Penguins' upbeat tempo gave them another opportunity to tie the game late in the match.
Eddie Silverbush raced his defender toward the corner flag and connected with
Luke Raley inside the box for a look at goal. Luke fired in a shot toward the top right corner of the net, but Gunn sealed the win as he made the final save of the day.
The Penguins will look to add to their win column as they travel to the University of Hawai'i at Hilo for their first of a 5-game road trip Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. HST. Live video and stats will be available online.
