Dons Comeback to Beat The Cougars

Sophomore midfielder Abel Bautisto scored the game-winning goal in stoppage time to help the Santa Ana Dons beat the Taft College Cougars 4-3 Friday, Sept. 27.

In the first half of the game, the Dons were lacking communication on the defensive end which allowed the Cougars to score the first goal of the game.

Taft scored their second goal off a free kick giving them a 2-0 lead

Freshman Midfielder Marcelo Aguirre scored off a penalty kick giving the Dons their first goal ending the first half 2-1

Start of the second half Taft was able to score off a few defensive miscues by the Dons making the score 3-1.

Midway through the second half, SAC began to have more control on the offensive side which lead to more shots on goal.

Sophomore Forward Gilberto Garcia scored the second goal for the Dons in the 79th minute with a header to make it 3-2.

Sophomore Defender Joshua Castellon scored ten minutes later with a header inside the box to tie the game 3-3.

Bautisto scored the game-winning goal in stoppage time when he found himself inside the box and crossed over two defenders which gave him enough room for a right-foot shot that was impossible for the Taft goalkeeper to stop. the game 4-3 giving the Dons the win.

“Coming into the game we had a mentality of winning. The first half came and we weren’t really communicating as a team. As soon as the second half came we, coaches and players were all communicating. We all were talking and came back. And achieved results in the end,” Bautisto said.

The Dons extended their winning streak to five, and now have a record of 6-1. Santa Ana will play against the Santiago Canyon College at Santiago on Oct. 1 at 3:00 pm.