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Chattanooga
Cloudy
H 50°
L 47°
49°
Altamont
Rain Shower
H 56°
L 53°
51°
Athens
Cloudy
H 54°
L 47°
53°
Benton
Cloudy
H 50°
L 47°
48°
Chatsworth
Cloudy
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L 47°
48°
Dalton
Cloudy
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47°
Dayton
Cloudy
H 48°
L 46°
45°
Dunlap
Cloudy
H 50°
L 47°
48°
Murphy
Cloudy
H 54°
L 47°
53°
Pikeville
Cloudy
H 48°
L 46°
45°
Summerville
Rain
H 51°
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50°
Ringgold
Cloudy
H 50°
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48°
Trenton
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48°
Local 3 Sports Reporter
22-0-2. It was an unforgettable season for the Dalton State Roadrunners, who captured their first national championship in program history on Monday. They’re hoping it’s the first of many.
22-0-2. It was an unforgettable season for the Dalton State Roadrunners, who captured their first national championship in program history on Monday. They’re hoping it’s the first of many.
“Right when he made the final save, Antonio was right next to me and fell to the floor and started crying, so I didn’t make it but two feet from where I stood and I fell to the floor right there with him and we were just huddled up crying. It was very much I can’t believe this,” explained Head Coach Saif Alsafeer.
Senior centerback Frank Rodriguez, who scored the game-winning penalty kick said, “This whole week…every time I think about it, I just kind of laugh to myself cause it still doesn’t feel real. It’s just the main goal we’ve had since I’ve been at Dalton State. To finally do it was great.”
Just a year ago, the Roadrunners left that same field in Wichita in heartbreak. That feeling of defeat only left them hungrier.
Alsafeer shared why that made this title all the more sweet.
“We’d obviously been to the final site twice. The formula works. Let’s keep putting ourselves in position to be here.”
Senior centerback and Northwest Whitfield alum Yahir Zapata explained, “It was just a matter of when and how it could be done. When the opportunity would come, we knew we would execute.”
Dalton State entered this year’s tournament undefeated, allowing just seven goals along the way. However, the Roadrunners faced adversity head on in the championship match.
Even as they went to penalty kicks in the biggest game of their lives, the mindset remained the same.
Rodriguez said, “I think you’ve just got to choose your spot early for the penalty and don’t change your mind at all. Be confident that you can do it.”
Rodriguez found the net to give Dalton State a 3-2 advantage. Just seconds later when Nicolas Leite made that final crucial stop, reality started to sink in.
“It validated so much of the work and so much of the things we tried to do. The special sauce with these guys is they wouldn’t take no for an answer. When we got back to Wichita this year, we’re not leaving without the trophy. And they didn’t,” Alsafeer added.
Local 3 Sports Reporter
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