Pacific West Champion Dixie State University men’s soccer finished off its near-perfect season undefeated in conference play.
Strong defense and plays by both DSU and California Baptist University’s goalies kept the game scoreless through the first half. This marked the 15th game in a row where DSU has not allowed a goal in the first half.
DSU was finally able to score after Angel Estrada, a freshman midfielder and science major from Pasadena, California, found the net in the 53rd minute for his third goal of the season.
The Traiblazers gained some breathing room when Bernard Manuel, a senior forward and accounting major from Ghana, West Africa, netted his second goal of the season off a throw-in by Bryan Baugh, a junior criminal justice major from Henderson, Nevada, in the 76th minute.
In the 77th minute, soon after the Trailblazers’ second goal, CBU responded with a goal of their own off a penalty kick inside the box but failed to close the gap as the game came to an end.
“We went through a lot this year,” said Bradley Trella, a senior goal keeper and computer science major from Chandler, Arizona. “With our coach leaving and everything, we just wanted to prove everyone wrong, and we knew that we could do it.”
DSU finished the regular season with a record of 15-3-0 and 13-0-0 in PacWest play. The Trailblazers will find out about their first ever NCAA Tournament bid on Monday.
