The Dixie State College men’s soccer team won 2-1 against Point Loma Nazarene University on Saturday.
Dixie started the game well by keeping the ball at its end of the field. But Dixie couldn’t seem to follow through with many shots taken in that first half.
DSC had two straight shots from junior midfielder Joshua Cook and another from senior midfielder Tyler Albretsen, but all were blocked.
Senior forward Jordan Roylance, a business major from Smithfield, had some opportunities with the ball but he was still sensitive from a previous injury. This was his first official home game of the season.
The team still just bounced the ball back and forth and didn’t connect to the goal. Although Dixie was communicating and passing well, the first half still ended tied at zero.
Dixie bounced back from the first half and scored the first goal of the game. Junior midfielder Francisco Garay put Roylance on the shot. The goal put Dixie on top with 1-0.
“The keeper was way off his line,” Roylance said. “It was an easy goal to just pass it right in.”
The tables turned as Point Loma took shots. Toward the middle of the second half, Gustavo Jimenez from PLNU shoved Dixie’s defender junior David Potocki, and Jimenez recieved a yellow card.
PLNU took control as Jimenez scored a goal for the Sea Lions. That left the score tied at 1-1.
Moments after, another yellow card was assessed on Roylance.
Pressure was on Dixie as time was winding down. PLNU took another straight shot but was blocked by goalkeeper Tyler Walters.
DSC had nine shots taken and three on goal.
The second half ended with the scored tied at one, which led the teams into overtime.
Within the first five minutes of the game, Albretsen took the shot and made it.
“This game means a starting point for our conference,” Roylance said. “This game leads us on to start winning. It kickstarted us.”
The Red Storm play the University of Hawaii at Hilo on Monday at 4:30 at Hansen Stadium.
