Men's Soccer Team Wins National Championship!

Five years ago, soccer on the campus of Salt Lake Community College was in its infancy.

SLCC's administration saw the vision – a men's program filled with a diverse mix of in-state products and international players, representing the institution and the state of Utah on the national stage in NJCAA competition. That prophesy came to fruition Thursday, with No. 2 Salt Lake earning its first NJCAA national soccer championship in a 2-1 overtime victory over No. 1 Iowa Western in the NJCAA Division-I Men's Soccer championship match from Wichita, Kan.

"I'm speechless at the magnitude of this moment," said SLCC coach Mark Davis. "This win is the perfect end to what has been a challenging year for our entire campus, and especially our athletic department. Our players never quit believing in themselves and our program."

Tied at 1-1 in the 96th minute of the match, SLCC's Paul Richnow took a shot that will long be remembered for the Bruins, taking a Santiago Delfino pass and connecting for the golden goal to give Salt Lake the national title. In a back-and-forth match, the Bruins trailed early after Iowa Western's Ibrahim Conde scored an unassisted goal in the 24th minute to take 1-0 lead. Salt Lake responded in the 53rd minute, thanks to Ryen Jiba scoring on an unassisted goal to tie the match.

The closeness of the match was told through the statistics, with Iowa Western holding a narrow 11-10 edge in shots; Jiba and Samuel Owusu led Salt Lake with four shots apiece. Bruins goalie Christian Olivares finished off a strong postseason performance, making four saves in the Salt Lake win.

"All season long, our players practiced and trained for moments like this," said Davis. "We pushed ourselves to be prepared to handle opportunities like this, and (Richnow) delivered when his opportunity came in overtime.

"This win is what a championship match should be - well-played and well-coached by both parties. Neither team deserved to lose today, that’s how good both teams were."

Putting the win in perspective, the men's soccer championship is Salt Lake's third-overall national title in department history, pairing with SLCC's 2009 and 2016 NJCAA crowns in Men's Basketball. Salt Lake will close the 2021 season with an overall record of 16-1-1. This is the first men’s soccer national victory in the history of the Scenic West Athletic Conference.

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