MSOC: Storm Score Final Two Goals to Stun Dominican

Ortiz gets opening and game-winning scores

Ortiz credited with game-winner at Dominican

BOX SCORE: DSC 3, DUC 2

SAN RAFAEL, CALIF. (November 4) – Although it was Senior Day for five Dominican soccer players, youth struck to give the Penguins an early second half lead. Unfazed, Nyle Ortiz (Layton, UT/Layton) and Parker Kennah (Layton, UT/Northridge) contributed on the match tying and go-ahead goals giving the visiting Red Storm of Dixie State College a 3-2 victory in Pacific West Conference play.

Dixie State (8-8-1, 7-5-1) has won three matches in a row and keeps hope for their first winning season since beginning competition in Division-II athletics.

“Robby Astin (Hayden, ID/Coeur d'Alene) controlled play for us in the backfield and Kody Hunter (Hooper, UT/Fremont) applied good pressure on the outside,” said head coach Danny Ortiz. “It was a total team effort today.”

Freshman David Mendez netted both goals for the Penguins off assisted throw-ins from sophomore Evan Cordoza. The second score in the 48th minute put Dominican ahead 2-1. Ortiz sandwiched a scoring shot in the 36th minute off a Tyler Albretsen (Pleasant View, UT/Weber) crossing assist. At the break, Dominican held a seven-to-five shots advantage.

“When we were down 2-1, we still felt confident as a team that we were going to get a win,” noted Ortiz. “I felt like we controlled the tempo of the match.”

Kennah concluded a barrage of Dixie shots and subsequent deflections with a left-footed equalizer at the 56:12 mark. The Red Storm continued to pressure Penguin goalkeeper Matthew Carlson with multiple shots beginning in the 72nd minute. All efforts were saved or shot wide until 78:57 when Ortiz deflected a Kennah helper off a defender, controlled the ball and shot it into the net for the lead.

The Penguins last chance came with under nine minutes left in the match. DSC's winning goalkeeper, Tyler Walters (Ogden, UT/Ben Lomand), saved Mendez's attempt for a hat trick to thwart Dominican. Walters finished the match with eight saves.

Dominican outshot Dixie State 14-to-13 and both teams collected 15 fouls. The loss drops the Penguins to an overall record of 3-10-4 and 3-7-3 in the Pac West.

Overall, Ortiz was pleased with the match's progression. “(Domincan's) field feels congested and closed-in, but I thought we did a good job adapting to the surroundings.”

The Red Storm close out their regular season with a match on Saturday morning beginning at 10:30 Pacific against Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

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