Red banner Roadrunners: Dalton State men win first soccer national championship

Published 2:00 pm Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Following more than 90 minutes of scoreless soccer and two overtimes, all that stood between the Dalton State College Roadrunners and their first NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship was a penalty kick shootout between the Roadrunners and William Penn University.

After three successful kicks by Dalton State’s Jip van den Essen, Kazuma Ishizuka and Frank Rodriguez on Monday afternoon, senior goalkeeper Nicolas Leite stepped in front of a penalty kick attempt from senior Statesmen midfielder Connor O’Reilly to defeat William Penn 3-2 in the shootout and secure the NAIA’s coveted red banner for Dalton State for the first time since the soccer program began in 2015. Leite also saved two other penalty kicks.

The Roadrunners will be honored during Dalton State’s men’s basketball game against Middle Georgia State in Bandy Gym on Friday. The game starts at 7 p.m.

The championship soccer game, played at Wichita, Kansas’ Stryker Sports Complex, featured both teams battling up and down the field against strong defenses.

“We knew it would be a big fight but we also knew what we would have to do to get it done,” said Leite. “Even with nervous situations in the game, we kept the clean sheet. It’s still hard to believe but it feels deserving after all the sacrifices and efforts all this group did in the last months. The unity of this family made us go all the way for sure.”

Dalton State, which finished the 2024 season with an unbeaten record of 22-0-2, entered the national tournament as the No. 1 seed. After a dominant regular season, the Roadrunners began postseason play in the tournament’s second round after receiving a bye in the first round.

Leading up to their championship win, Dalton State defeated Eastern Oregon University 3-0 at Dalton Stadium in the second round on Nov. 23, Spring Arbor University 1-0 in the round of 16 on Dec. 2, Bellevue University 1-0 in the quarterfinals on Dec. 5 and University of the Cumberlands 4-0 in the semifinals on Saturday.

The Roadrunners’ win against Cumberlands’ Patriots marked Dalton State’s first appearance in the NAIA Championship’s semifinal round and was their 17th shutout of the season. Monday’s championship game against third-seeded William Penn capped that number at 18. Dalton State allowed only seven goals in its 24 games.

“First and foremost, I think we’ve been very blessed,” said Dalton State Soccer Director Saif Alsafeer. “I think God has blessed our path. We’ve placed a big emphasis on trying to take a holistic approach in the program and trying to build not just better footballers and better students, but better people in general. So, I think we’re very fortunate and very blessed to have the type of people in our program that we have.”

Alsafeer said the championship win was the result of years of laying the groundwork in the community.

“It’s been a huge process and there’s been a variety of factors in that process,” he said. “When we came to Dalton (State), we had a vision for what we wanted to do, and our staff was able to execute that vision a little at a time. Our community got engaged in that vision, we were able to bring some very special people and players into our vision and the soccer community at Dalton State, and this is absolutely a result of that, no question.”

William Penn ended its season 20-2-4, its best in program history.

Dalton State became the first team in 18 years and the eighth overall to not allow a single opposing goal in regular play throughout the NAIA Men’s Soccer Championship tournament, and the first to do so in the newer postseason format that expanded the field to five games for the winning team.

“You always believe that you can do it because we’ve had a good team for years,” said Alsafeer. “We knew we had a good process, we just had to keep giving ourselves opportunities to try and win it. There’s only one winner and a lot of things have to go your way, and I give credit to the boys. As the season went on, this group of players made it less and less surprising because they came together and unified in a way that transcends anything physical. It’s a bit surreal, it really is. The boys did it. The job’s done.”

Junior midfielder and Dalton native Jamie Mendiola said he “never doubted” his teammates’ “heart and determination.”

“From all the games we’ve played together, I knew (we) would rise to the challenge and secure the red banner,” Mendiola said. “Bringing a national title back to Dalton is incredibly meaningful but for me it goes even deeper. Being born and raised here, this moment feels especially personal. It’s a reflection of our community’s strength and pride, and I’m beyond grateful to have played a part in it.”

Antonio Bittencourt, a redshirt senior centerback and team captain for the Roadrunners, said his teammates expected the final game to be a “war.”

“(I) think because of the occasion, both teams were trying to play as simple as possible to not concede,” Bittencourt said. “But we knew that (by) following the plan, things would work for us. (We showed) that we wanted it more than them and that we deserved to be the champions.”

Bittencourt said he is proud to be a part of a history-making team.

“Being a national champion for the first time in history along with an undefeated season … was by far the happiest day of my life,” he said. “The feeling after Nico (Leite) saved his third PK was unreal. I didn’t know what to do; I was only able to cry. I’m so proud of us being able to give this back to the Dalton community for everything that this place means for everyone.”

Senior midfielder Leonardo Seixas led the Roadrunners with three shots and sophomore midfielder Mason Dalton had two.

The game was Dalton State’s first playing in postseason overtime this year. The last time an NAIA National Championship game went to a post-regulation shootout was in 2018 when Central Methodist University defeated Missouri Valley College.

Following the Roadrunners’ win, junior striker Jack Stainrod was honored with the NAIA’s Outstanding Offensive Player award, while senior centerback Juan Demichelis received the NAIA’s Most Valuable Player award.

Alsafeer said the entire Dalton community can lay claim to a piece of the Roadrunners’ championship success.

“There’s a rich history of soccer in the area, all the way from the youth ranks to collegiately at Dalton State,” he said. “It’s been really good for a long time and to be able to bring the big one home, that’s a big deal. I think the community knows it belongs here, too. The former players, the current players, the community, everybody knows that national championship trophy belongs in Dalton.”