In their season opener, the Santa Ana Dons Men’s Soccer team won a tight game against the East Los Angeles Huskies with a final of 2-0 on Aug. 27. They are coming off a strong 10-6-6 overall season in which they won their 27th Orange Empire Conference Championship.
The Dons scored an early goal by freshman defender Daniel Tolmasoff, assisted by sophomore forward Josue Martinez. They controlled the game’s tempo, as they spent most of the game in the attacking zone.
Their defense was sharp, as they made quick work of the Huskies’ advances. The Huskies had limited shots on goal, and the persistent defense of the Dons secured a shutout.
Offensively, they also had multiple opportunities to open the game up. With advances set up near the Huskies’ net in which they narrowly missed headers or volleys.
“We can have better possession of the ball, stay a little bit more calm, and take more shots,” said freshman Leonardo Garcia. “Everything was pretty good, we need to clean up some things, it’s pretty early on in the season, I think we can get there.”
The game was held at a close 1-0 score until late into the second half, with 13 minutes remaining. Freshman forward Jordan Bueno scored on an open net that was set up by freshman midfielder Vincent Lopez. Lopez drew the goalkeeper away and set up Bueno for an easy tap-in.
Looking ahead, the Dons will face the Cuyamaca College Coyotes on Tuesday, Aug. 30. The Dons (1-0-0) look to keep a perfect record against the Coyotes (0-0-1).
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Excellent reporting by Nick Wire. Way to go, Dons!