Box Score Santa Cruz, CALIF. – Dominican University of California (9-5-0, 5-1-0) suffered a mid-season non-conference loss to UC Santa Cruz (5-8-3, 0-0) by a score of 1-0 in Santa Cruz on Tuesday.

Sophomore Nylmar Gonzalez De Leon earned the first start of his Dominican career, making his first ever save just 46 seconds into the game when he stopped a ball headed towards the top of the net. Two more saves were made just seconds apart in the fourth minute when Leon De Gonzalez stopped a pair of shots that came one after the other, the second coming off a rebound as the Penguins' keeper deflected a secondary strike that was headed towards the top right corner.

Dominican's first shot on goal came in the 14^th minute off the foot of sophomore Lex Bernier, but the shot was stopped by Banana Slugs keeper Arman Salimi. Sophomore Reo Snyder got in on the inaugural action with his first ever shot on goal as an athlete, but this strike too was turned aside by Salimi. Gonzalez De Leon made his final save of the half in the 31^st minute off a shot sent on by Ethan Kingery before the two sides returned to their respective benches for halftime locked at 0-0.

Dominican provided the first action of the final half in the form of an Elias Muro shot that was stopped near the upper right-90 of the frame, marking the Penguins' third shot of the afternoon. Santa Cruz connected on the game's first goal when Tanner Boyea sent a pass onto the foot of Tyler Allred who connected on a shot that found the top right of the goal, giving the Banana Slugs a 1-0 lead. Santa Cruz controlled much of the game from here on out, eventually walking off with a 1-0 victory.