Dons Win Home Opener

Santa Ana Dons soccer continued their winning ways with a 4-1 home opener victory over East Los Angeles College Huskies Tuesday.

Sophomore forward Kevin Ruiz opened the scoring for the Dons in the 17th minute when he found a loose ball inside the box. 

After the goal, SAC’s turnovers and miscommunications caused gaps on the defensive side that allowed the Huskies to score and tie the game in the 29th minute.

At halftime, the message to the team was communication.

 “I told them that we were turning the ball over too much. We need to communicate better out there,” coach Jose Vasquez said after the game. 

The message worked for the Dons. Throughout the second half, there were much less turnovers and the defense communication was solid. Sophomore forward Gilbert Garcia scored the Dons’ second goal in the 59th minute off a defensive rebound. Seventeen minutes later, freshman midfielder Marcelo Aguirre scored an impressive goal off a freekick that was impossible for the Huskies goalkeeper to block.

At the end of the game coach Vasquez was asked how he felt about his teams performance.

“I felt good about our performance. We still have a lot of work to do. It’s the first game of the season and all we can do is work to improve” said coach Vasquez.

The Dons are now 1-0 and look to build on the win when they travel to Oxnard to face Oxnard College Friday at 4:00 p.m.