SAN FRANCISCO – Dominican men's soccer was unable to hold its early lead as it tied Academy of Art 2-2 Thursday afternoon at Paul Goode Field.

The Penguins (1-1-1) and Urban Knights (0-1-2) were equal in shots, shots on goal and saves throughout the match with the Penguins holding a slight edge in corner kicks. Lex Bernier recorded his third goal of the season while Joe Blakely found the back of the net for his first of the year.

The Penguins wasted no time in the early moments of the match as Bernier dodged and weaved his way inside the box and an ART U defender tripped him at the top of the box to earn a penalty kick. Bernier stuttered in his approach trying to throw off Jaiden Brooks in the net but it was unneeded as Brooks dove the right direction but Bernier's shot had enough pace and distance to make the save impossible giving Dominican the 1-0 lead in the third minute.

Things began to slow down until the first wave of subs brought new life to the Dominican attack with Cole Porter being the first to test Brooks, but this time Brooks collected the save. Joe Blakely then took a pass on the top of the 18-yard box, deked out a defender and sent a shot to the top right corner of the net to extend the lead to 2-0 in the 35th minute. 

While the Penguins appeared to be in control, the Urban Knights responded three minutes later as a corner kick by Elvis Mensah found the body of Joey Glaab and went into the net to trim the lead to 2-1 at the half.

Elias Muro had a good look at extending the Penguin lead in the 52nd minute but his shot missed the frame to the right. Bernier then had three good looks but he too was off target as Dominican tried to stave off the comeback. ART U though eventually broke through again as Glaab took a pass from Alejandro Palos and found the netting for the second time to tie the match 2-2 in the 76th minute.

Dominican will return home Saturday to host Cal State Monterey Bay at 3 p.m. PDT at Kennelly Field.