THE RUNDOWN
The DBU Men's Soccer team was on the road in Tyler Tuesday night as they took on UT-Tyler in the final match of the spring 2021 season, a tight game that would see DBU come up just short by a score of 1-0 in overtime.

On a beautiful Texas night at Citizens 1^st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex, DBU would battle it out in a tightly contested match in a game that would need more than just 90 minutes to separate the two sides. The two Patriot teams would both see good spells of possession going forward and would also have solid looks at the frame. The two sides would go into the half knotted up at 0-0.

In the second half, the story would be much the same with both teams getting some offensive opportunities. Alex Knepper was in goal for DBU and would be called into action, making 5 saves on the night. Still at a standstill as time ran down, DBU and UT-Tyler would head into overtime.
 
As overtime began, both sides came out looking to get on the board. Mason Wallak would have a shot that would test the keeper from Tyler who would keep the ball out of the net. In the final minute of the first overtime period, UT-Tyler would get on the board and score the golden goal to give them the 1-0 win.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
  - Although not every game this year went their way, Chip Dutchik's side is right in the thick of it. DBU would fall four times this season by a narrow one goal margin. If the Patriots were on the other side of that straw, they would have had a strong shot at the LSC Tournament.
 
 - All season, the Patriots built a solid brand of soccer into their DNA. DBU pinged the ball around and solidified a possession-based style of play that they will look to keep and grow for years to come.
 
 - The Patriots have many positives to take away from this shortened season as they head into the fall. This team has loads of heart and play with a massive chip on their shoulder, two things that they demonstrated countless times throughout the year. DBU will look to build off of the chemistry that they have and grow as a team during the quick turnaround leading into the fall.

HEAD COACH CHIP DUTCHIK ON THE PERFORMANCE AND PATRIOTS SEASON
"I'm really proud of our guys. All year they played with heart and battled game in and game out - they played the DBU way. There are plenty of positives to take away from this spring and I'm glad to have everyone set to return for the fall."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
8 – Eight players played all 100 minutes of action tonight. As the season progressed, the Patriots were unfortunate with multiple players taking season ending knocks. Many players rose to the challenge and were able to put in taxing shifts for their side.

2 – With Kyle Renton and Alexander Knepper both seeing significant action this season, the Patriots have two goalies in the net that earned valuable experience and will provide their team with important leadership heading into the 2021 fall season.

840 – Payton Franklin played all 840 minutes of action this season. The sophomore captain gained valuable experience at centerback in his second season on University Hill and will use that to help him going forward throughout the remainder of his career.

UP NEXT
DBU will look to take their positives and grow on them as they set their sights on the fall.