THE RUNDOWN
A late goal from Abraham Garcia gave the DBU Men's Soccer team its first win in its last four games Saturday over UT Permian Basin on a rain-soaked Patriot Soccer Field. Garcia's goal broke a 2-2 tie with less than three minutes in regulation.
The Patriots (3-4-1, 1-3-1) struck first as Riley Unger found the back of the net from 12 yards out just 2:49 into the match on an assist from Diego Palti. Unger converted a penalty kick for his second goal of the game in the 26th minute, and DBU carried a 2-0 lead into the half.
UTPB (1-7-0, 0-4-0) wasted no time starting its comeback attempt, scoring just 33 seconds into the second half. A 60th-minute tally tied the game for the Falcons, but Garcia grabbed a loose ball off the UTPB keeper and struck for his first goal of the year with 2:50 to play in the second half.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Unger upped his team-leading goal total to five on the season.
- DBU scored its first goal 2:49 into the game and its final goal with 2:50 left to play.
- The Patriots have converted two penalty kicks for the first time in a season since 2016..
DBU HEAD COACH CHIP DUTCHIK ON
"Tough day with the weather, but the field held up nice. I'm very proud of our guys. When the field's like this, it's about how hard you grind and how hard you work, and do you want it more than them. And our guys did in every aspect of that. Even after we gave up the goals, I wasn't worried, because I know the attitude and the effort our team was going to put in."
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
7 – Luis Murillo's seven saves were a career high.
3 – The Patriots' three goals Saturday were more than they had scored in their previous four games.
1 – Unger entered the season with one career goal. He now has two multi-goal games.
UP NEXT
The Patriots travel to Wichita, Kansas, to face Newman on Thursday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
