SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Dominican men's soccer scored twice in the opening 25 minutes and kept Jessup off the board to earn a 3-0 victory Saturday afternoon in its regular-season finale at Kennelly Field.
The Penguins (6-6-4, 5-3-1 PacWest) controlled the match with a 24-13 advantage in shots and put 10 attempts on goal, while the Warriors (2-13-2, 0-8-1 PacWest) managed four shots on frame.
Sebastian Jaral scored his eighth goal of the season,
Julio Castro Altamirano added his first and
Benjamin Southern capped the victory with his first goal of the year.
Jake Kazlauskas assisted on each of the first two goals, while
Colin Nestor made four saves before
Kenton Gelis completed the combined shutout.
Dominican nearly struck in the third minute when Kazlauskas sent an attempt toward the back post and hit the woodwork squarely. The rebound stayed in play and was eventually cycled back to
Norman Tellez, whose follow-up attempt was blocked. Tellez helped create the opening goal in the 12th minute when he intercepted an errant pass and immediately pushed the ball forward to Kazlauskas. The junior used a backheel pass to release Jaral, who finished inside the left post for a 1-0 advantage.
A corner kick in the 25th minute was cycled until the ball eventually worked its way to Kazlauskas, who crossed it back into traffic in front of goal.
Patrick Zamora Salazar redirected the ball back toward Castro Altamirano, who got the final touch from close range to make it 2-0.
Lucas Flores nearly added another before halftime after
Rolando Gonzalez kept a ball alive along the goal line and squeezed it through traffic. Flores received it near the penalty spot in the 43rd minute, but his attempt lacked enough pace to beat Curtis Lynch.
Jessup produced its best opportunity in the 61st minute when Jonathan Juarez found himself with an open look from the center of the penalty area. Nestor reacted quickly to knock the shot down before diving on the loose ball before it could cross the line, preserving the shutout.
Kazlauskas threatened again in the 69th minute after
Anthony Stainer delivered a cross from the left side of the box. Kazlauskas redirected the service on goal but could not get enough height on the attempt to beat Eduardo Enriquez. In the 86th minute after Stainer had an initial shot blocked with the ball falling to Flores at the top of the penalty area where he played it back to Southern, who curled a shot from 20 yards inside the left post for the final 3-0 margin.
Dominican's PacWest Tournament fate lies in the hands of two evening games as they look to be the fourth qualifier to compete back on Kennelly Field.
