HERRIMAN, Utah (October 17, 2021)- TMCC's men fell to Salt Lake Community College 1-0 in their final road contest of the 2021 season on Sunday. After a back and forth first half ended scoreless, the Mighty Lizards had trouble on the offensive end in the second, resulting in their second loss to the defending national champions this season. 

TMCC played excellent defensively in the opening 45 minutes, keeping chances from the Bruins to a minimum and doing well to neutralize the hosts potent attacking unit. The Mighty Lizards back line showed excellent discipline, keeping the hosts to just three scoring chances. 

Salt Lake nearly took the lead before the break, but Goalkeeper Sean Lucas kept the score knotted at 0-0 with an excellent save in the 42nd minute. The sophomore reacted quickly to SLCC forward Damien Aguello's shot, deflecting it over the post for a corner to keep things even.

Equally stout defending from the hosts also kept the Mighty Lizards at bay offensively. TMCC threatened on a pair of set pieces mid-way through the first half, but were unable to find the net. Sophomore Wilmer Hernandez-Parra nearly broke open the scoring for TMCC just before halftime, but his long-range strike would be deflected out in traffic by Bruins keeper Christian Olivares just as the clock ended the period.

TMCC's defensive excellence kept in the second half, neutralizing two great chances for the Bruins right out of the gate. A missed strike allowed sophomore Jacob Duran to intercept and clear out a threat in the 48th minute, while an excellent tackle from Luis Chavez stopped another chance just moments later. However, the Bruins would take the lead just before the hour mark, when Kai Phillip found the net to break the tie. 

The Mighty Lizards would muster just one shot taken for the contest. However, their defensive unit performed admirably in the defeat, making TMCC one of just three teams this season to hold the Bruins to one score or less this season. Sophomore Sean Lucas played well in goal, logging six saves for the match. 

Following the loss, TMCC finds their playoff hopes slim following wins earlier in the week for Utah State Eastern and rival Southern Nevada. They'll wrap up their 2021 season this coming week when they play host to Feather River College for a non-conference meeting on Thursday, and welcome Colorado Northwestern for the final match of the season on Saturday. Both matches will be streamed live on the Lizards Sports Network.