Dallas Baptist University Athletics

THE RUNDOWN
With playoff hopes on the ropes, DBU (7-4-6, 3-2-5 LSC) triumphed over Texas A&M International (5-8-3, 2-6-2 LSC) on Wednesday night at Patriot Soccer Field, 1-0. Winning the regular season finale, the Patriots clinched a spot in the LSC Tournament, which begins on Saturday.
 
In a physical first half, both goalkeepers stepped up in key moments to keep the respective offenses off the scoreboard. TAMIU's Nicklas Berg-Eriksen posted two saves in the first 12 minutes, but DBU's Sean Mattivi matched with a pair of deflections in the 19th and 20th minutes to keep the game at 0-0.
 
In the 28th minute, Caleb Centeno drove the ball above the right side of the Patriots' attacking third into the feet of Caden Berg, who took into the six-yard box and fired a shot at Berg-Eriksen. The keeper used both of his hands to swipe the ball away, but the rebound caught a Dustdevil defender and angled into the net for a 1-0 DBU lead.
 
Mattivi added another save in the 32nd minute to preserve the Patriot advantage heading into halftime.
 
The second half played as a possession battle. TAMIU controlled the ball for the first stage of the frame, but DBU took control of the ball in the latter part. Both defenses limited pure shot opportunities, as the Patriots looked to burn the clock in the closing minutes.
 
DBU stayed true to form, holding the Dustdevils to only one shot in the final 14 minutes to earn the important win and advance to the LSC Tournament.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- DBU clinches a spot in the LSC Tournament for the fifth straight year.
- The Patriots finish the season with a 3-2-3 record at home, matching the 2025 squad's record.
- Sean Mattivi posted four saves in his fourth shutout of the season.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
6 - DBU posted its sixth clean sheet of the season, matching the program record set in 2022.
7 - Seven different Patriots launched a shot against Texas A&M International: Eliab Alvarez, Caden Berg, Colby deLeeuw, Jared Garcia, Erik Oliveira, Liam Spiller, and James Webb.
90 - Cason Berg, Trace Binyon, and Chase Turcotte each played all 90 minutes of the match.
 
HEAD COACH BRAD BANKHEAD ON REBOUNDING FROM SATURDAY'S LOSS AND CLINCHING A SPOT IN THE LSC TOURNAMENT
"Good, gritty win after a tough loss on Saturday. Keeping a clean sheet was important. Getting into the conference tournament, we're all level, and anything can happen."
 
UP NEXT
DBU begins its postseason journey on Saturday with a quarterfinal match against St. Mary's in San Antonio. The game time is to be determined.
  Read Full Article