No. 1 Thunderducks Capture South District Title

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

DALLAS – Dallas College Richland men's soccer team is headed back again.

The No. 1-ranked Thunderducks beat Dallas College Mountain View, 3-1, Friday night in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III championship. The win sends the six-time defending national champions to the national tournament Nov. 12-17 in Batavia, New York.

Richland (12-2-0) outshot Mountain View, 15-4.

The Lions (4-11-3) scored the game's first goal when Nathaniel Velasquez found the back of the net in the 10th minute on an assist from Martin Vara Jr. It was one of two shots for Mountain View in the first half.

Richland answered in the 40th minute when Jason Rivera scored on an assist from Julia Vega to knot things up entering the halftime break. It was Jason Rivera's first goal as a Thunderduck. 

Alan Rivera scored the gamewinning goal 10 minutes into the second half on a setup from Enrique Alvarez. It was Rivera's first goal this year. Alvarez added an insurance goal in the 78th minute. It was Alvarez's fifth goal this year. He is second on the team with 18 points.

Richland went 10-1 at home this season, and will take a three-match winning streak into the NJCAA Division III Tournament. The Thunderducks also extended their winning streak over Dallas Athletic Conference opponents to 49 consecutive matches, which dates back to 2009.

The Thunderducks halted Mountain View's five-match unbeaten streak. The Lions had won three of their past five, with two ties during that span.