Rafael ValenciaThe Dons men’s soccer team finished a rollercoaster season filled with injuries and inconsistencies with a 10-6-4 record. The team enters the CCCAA playoffs for the fourth straight year, this time as 11th seed. Santa Ana was originally set to face off against the Golden West College Rustlers. However, an ineligible player from College of the Desert resulted in an update to the Rating Percentage Index, which moved Santa Ana into ninth seed and sent them to Santa Barbara College to play the Vaqueros instead.
In a game that couldn’t be decided in 120 minutes, the two teams went into penalty kicks with a 2-2 tie. Santa Ana emerged victorious. Sophomore goalkeeper Frank Aguilar was stellar in the shootout, stopping three out of four penalty shots and scoring one himself, giving SAC the 3-1 victory and advancing the team to the second round for the third time in four years.
The Dons looked for a spot in the third round of the playoffs but it was a hard task as they fell short of their goal losing 2-1. They lost to the undefeated Mounties (19-0-3) for the second time this year ending their season in the second round in consecutive years.
