Aryanna PonceSanta Ana College men’s soccer settled for a 2–2 draw against Chaffey College on Sept. 9 at night at Santa Ana Stadium, leaving the Dons disappointed, said Head Coach Jose Vasquez.
“[I’m] not satisfied at all. This should have been a win. I think we had a great opportunity to do better in the first half,” Vasquez said.
The Dons were also forced to play the final 35 minutes with 10 players after Victor Garcia received a red card in the 55th minute. Chaffey took the upper hand on the numerical advantage four minutes later when Moises Rodriguez scored his second goal of the match to tie the game at 2–2.
Despite playing a player down, Santa Ana continued to create opportunities in the second half. The Dons recorded nine shots and five corner kicks, matching Chaffey’s nine shots while holding the advantage in corner kicks, 5–1.
Vasquez said the team will rely on its depth to move forward. “We have a big squad, so we’re gonna work with some fresh legs and get them in their next games and just go to work,” said Vasquez.
Santa Ana had taken an early lead when sophomore forward Jesus Melgoza scored just 4:21 into the match, with freshman defender Jose Cortez credited with the first assist of the season.
“It was a matter of time. I’ve been working all summer long, it was all just trusting my team and waiting for the ball after it was set up,” said Melgoza.
Chaffey tied the game in the 26th minute when Rodriguez scored. Santa Ana regained the lead 10 minutes later when freshman Jaziel Segura scored from just inside the 18-yard box, assisted by Garcia.
The Dons entered halftime with a 2–1 lead before the red card changed the situation in the second half. Santa Ana freshman goalkeeper Alejandro Quintero finished with five saves, while Chaffey goalkeeper Fernando Monteon recorded three.
The match was originally scheduled for Aug. 28, but was postponed because of extreme heat. The Dons will return to Santa Ana Stadium for their next home match against San Diego Mesa College Tuesday at 1 p.m.
