Jordy Espinoza
Led by sophomore midfielder Miguel Gomez — who made one assist and scored the game-winning goal — the Dons beat the Roadrunners 3-2 Friday.
It was an intense, back-and-forth match that led to four score changes.
Dons head coach Jose Vasquez was proud of the way his team came out in the second half.
“I told our team just to worry about themselves and do their thing. Just relax and play the game,” Vasquez said.
Vasquez says the team is young and hungry for success. Their goal is to grow and get better every day.
After the Roadrunners struck first in the first half on an unlucky bounce, freshman midfielder Jesus Nunez tied things up on an assisted pass from freshman Kevin Ruiz. The goal was Nunez’s fourth of the season. The Roadrunners then countered with another goal to make it 2-1.
In the 75th minute, Ruiz tied the game after getting an assisted pass from Gomez, scoring his first goal of the season.
With the game tied, Gomez drove the ball past the keeper into the bottom right corner of the net, scoring the winning goal for the Dons. The goal was Gomez’s second of the season and third of his Santa Ana career.
“My team helped and supported me the entire way and all I had to do was kick the ball in,” Gomez said. “It was not my goal. It was a team goal. That was an overall team effort.”
The Dons improve to 2-0 on the year, while College of the Desert drops to 1-1. The Dons will start their three-game road stint against San Bernardino Valley Tuesday, Sept. 4 at 4 p.m.
