Dons tie to Panthers in season opener

Santa Ana College women’s soccer tied 0-0 to West Los Angeles College on Friday. The Dons were struggling in the first half to connect on passes or create space off dribble. As a result, the Wildcats dominated the ball control.

SAC struggled to keep West LA from taking shots, only taking one shot while West LA had five shots in the first half. West LA took control of the first half of the game with more possession and dribbling through SAC’s defenders.

The Dons are looking for a positive change this season, with returning players from past seasons returning to play.

“Everything looks to be moving in a positive direction,” said Coach Jaymie Baquero.

Leilani Rodarte making a pass to get closer to goal. Photo by Kathy Rafferty / el Don.

Their halftime changes were noticeable as they started to put pressure on West LA.

At the start of the second half, things looked different for SAC. They were connecting with each other and getting closer to scoring than they were in the first half. They kept the Panthers from getting near their goal.

A mistake almost caused West LA to have a chance to score but hit the post during the first minutes of the second half.

The Dons were kept in the game with two huge saves in the final minutes of the game. “I was happy that I could help out the team a little bit,” said SAC’s goalkeeper Noemi Reyes.

“The result was not what I wanted but we did push and we tried our best,” said Dons midfielder Brianna Mejia.

Alondra Gutierrez kicks freekick towards the panthers goal. Photo by Kathy Rafferty / el Don.

The Dons had a different look in the second half. In the last twenty minutes, Brianna Mejia stepped up and dribbled the ball towards the West LA goal, but their defender tackled to take away Mejia’s chance to win the game.

SAC will continue their search for their first win as they face LA Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 10.