SAN RAFAEL, Calif. -- The Cal Poly Humboldt Men's Soccer team concluded their Bay Area road trip on Saturday when they took on former Pacific West Champions, Dominican University, from Kennelly Field. Humboldt fell to the Penguins with a final score of 3-1 and got their lone goal on a penalty kick from Cole Falco, as he has now scored a goal in back-to-back games. 

"Dominican came out very quickly today and we didn't handle it very well in the first half," stated head coach Fred Jungemann. "We weren't prepared at the start and lost our composure a bit, which is my fault. To their credit, our guys stepped it up in the second half, and made it a much more competitive match. We will take some valuable lessons away from the game and look to bounce back next Saturday."

Match Summary
The Penguins didn't waste any time getting on the scorebaord as Lex Bernier of Dominican squeezed a tough shot into the back of the net at the six minute mark that gave Dominican a 1-0 lead. Bernier also assisted the next goal five minutes later as he crossed the ball into the box and found Chris Mendez-Lemus to put the Penguins up 2-0. Dominican continued to pressure Humboldt in the first half, and in the 28th minute the 'Jacks attempted to head a ball wide of the far post but it snuck inside the frame for an own goal and which gave the Penguins the 3-0 lead at the half.

Despite a slower start to the match, Humboldt responded well in the second half. A foul in the box just three minutes into the second half put Cole Falco at the penalty spot. Falco converted the shot as he perfectly found the upper right corner of the net and put the 'Jacks on the board. It was Falco's second goal of the season. Despite Humboldt pacing the Penguins in shots the second half (4-4), the back line held strong against the strong efforts of the 'Jacks and the match finished with a final score of 3-1 against the former PacWest champs.  
 

⚽️| Final from San Rafael.

Humboldt falls to Dominican with a final score of 3-1. The 'Jacks return home next Saturday to take on Lincoln University 🪓#TrueJacks pic.twitter.com/LoUm7AdmBj

— Cal Poly Humboldt Lumberjacks (@HumboldtJacks) September 2, 2023

Notable Stats

• Cole Falco recorded his second goal of the season off of a penalty kick in the 48'
• Juan Perez had two shots
• Keeper Adrian Gallardo collected six saves
• Both George Binda and Duke Romanchak posted a shot

Records
Cal Poly Humboldt (1-1-0, 0-0-0 CCAA)
Dominican (1-1-0, 0-0-0 PacWest)

Up Next
The 'Jacks host their home opener on Saturday, September 9 versus Lincoln University at 3:30 PM from College Creek Field. 

For more information on Cal Poly Humboldt men's soccer, please visit humboldtathletics.com and follow us on all social media platforms.