Velasquez Scores Twice in 3-2 Victory Over Park

Dubuque, Iowa – Playing against a team with their backs against the wall, the Clarke University men's soccer team were able to finish their regular season on a high note after holding off Park University's second half comeback on Saturday evening.

Forward Jonathan Velasquez had a strong start as he had two strong chances to get the Pride on the board early, including hitting the post in the sixth minute.

The Pride attack eventually paid off when Luke Persenico and Velasquez scored 87 seconds apart in the 17th and 18th minute to give the Pride a 2-0 lead. However, the two-goal lead wouldn't last as Jakib Jones got the scoring started for the Pirates when he got behind the Pride defense in the 33rd minute. The Pirates had a good opportunity late in the first half to tie when Mohamed Ndaliro found himself alone in front of the net and shot just over the crossbar.

As more time ticked off the clock in the second half, you could feel the Pirates desperation as they put a lot of pressure on the Pride defense and goalie Fernando Contreras had to make some crucial saves. However, Contreras made a costly error when he tackled a Pirate attacker and gave them a penalty kick in the 77th minute. Jones once again scored for the Pirates and the momentum had swung heavily in favor of the home team.

Shortly after the PK, the Pride quieted the home crowd when Velasquez was able to score on a rebound off of a Patrick Asamoah shot in the 82nd minute to give the Pride a 3-2 lead and it would become the game winner.

As mentioned earlier, Contreras made some impactful saves and finished the contest with four total. Contreras completes his regular season as the full-time starter with eight victories and a 1.65 goals-against average.