Thunderducks Men's Soccer Opens NJCAA National Tournament Wednesday
NJCAA DIII Men's Soccer Bracket
Dallas College Richland men's soccer team will open the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Championship tournament with a quarterfinal match against Community College of Rhode Island 10 a.m. CT Wednesday.
The NJCAA Network will air the tournament from Genesee Community College in Batavia, New York. The championship game is set for 12 p.m. CT Nov. 13.
The No. 1-ranked Thunderducks (13-0-1) are shooting for their fifth consecutive title. Last season, they beat Herkimer College, 2-0, to claim the national crown. They've appeared in six straight national title games.
Richland is in unbeaten in its last 62 games, dating back to a 2-1 loss to Tyler Junior College Sept. 25, 2018. The Thunderducks tied Tyler, 0-0, in double overtime this season, and have won 11 in a row.
Richland has given up just four goals this season. The Thunderducks last allowed a goal in a 9-1 win over Dallas College Mountain View Oct. 12.
Jonathan Gallardo leads Richland with 15 points on three goals and nine assists. Chris Fuentes, Enzo Nogue and Saimon Gjeci each have five goals, while Samuele Muroni, Felipe Garcia and Robert Zanfir each have four of the 50 the Thunderducks have scored this season.
Goalkeeper Lorenzo Rovei is 7-0 with a 0.29 goals against average, .913 saves percentage and five shutouts. Rodrigo Artiga is 5-0-1 with a 0.29 GAA, .929 saves percentage and four outright shutouts and one combined clean sheet. Artiga is second in the NJCAA Division III in saves percentage, and Rovei fourth. Both keepers are tied for third in GAA. Rovei's five solo shutouts are tied for second nationally, while Artiga's four are tied for seventh.
Richland's combined 0.28 GAA ranks second nationally.