On Tuesday (December 7), the Santa Ana College men's soccer team capped off its 19-0-4 season by claiming the top spot in the final 2004 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III Men's Soccer Poll. The Dons won their record sixth California community college state soccer title on Sunday (December 5) with a 3-0 win over Cerritos in the finals of the 2004 Citi California Community Colleges Commission on Athletics Soccer Championships. Click here to view the 2004 NSCAA Men's Final Rankings.

December 14, 2004
Espinoza Earns NSCAA First Team All-America Honors

SANTA ANA , CA - Despite the Santa Ana College men's soccer season having drawn to a close a week ago, post-season accolades continue to roll in for freshmen Peter Espinoza who was named to the 2004 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Junior College All-America Team.

The former Century High School-product was instrumental in the Dons (19-0-4) winning their record sixth California Community Colleges state title and second national title this earlier this month. During the playoffs Espinoza, who was named the soccer championships' most valuable player, was involved in 11 of the 15 goals scored by Santa Ana. He recorded five goals and six assists including one goal and three assists in the Dons' two wins over Hartnell (3-0) and Cerritos (3-0) in the 2004 Citi California Community Colleges Commission on Athletics Soccer Championships held at Oxnard College. Espinoza finished the season with 18 goals and 21 assists despite spending considerable time as a defender due to injuries.

In November, he was named first team all-Orange Empire Conference after helping Santa Ana secure its 11 th consecutive conference title with an
11-0-3 mark.

Santa Ana finished the season undefeated with a 19-0-4 mark and ranked first in the final NSCAA/adidas Division III Junior College Men's Soccer Poll released on December 7, 2004.

It was Santa Ana 's sixth California Community Colleges state title and first under first-year head coach Jose Vasquez, who is a candidate for West Region NSCAA Coach of the Year. The last time Santa Ana finished the season undefeated was in 1999 when the Dons won their first national title and second of three consecutive state titles (1998-2000). Santa Ana also won state titles in 1978 and 1995.

December 5, 2004
Santa Ana Captures Record Sixth State Title

OXNARD, CA - Freshman Hamilton Lopez scored two goals as Santa Ana College recorded its third consecutive shut out, an impressive 3-0 victory over Cerritos College on Sunday, to capture the 2004 Citi California Community Colleges Commission on Athletics Men's Soccer Championship at Oxnard College.

First-year head coach Jose Vasquez led Santa Ana to its state-record sixth California Community Colleges title as the Dons outscored its four post-season opponents, 15-1.

Following the championship game, freshman forward Peter Espinoza was named the State Championships' Most Valuable Player after scoring a goal and assisting on three others in Santa Ana's wins over Hartnell and Cerritos. Espinoza finished the playoffs with five goals and six assists.

Santa Ana (19-0-4) was able to control the tempo of the contest on a wet, but fast Oxnard College playing field. The Dons made good of their advantages while playing Cerritos tough on defense. Santa Ana outshot Cerritos 18-6 but did not allow a shot on goal.

Sophomore Jonathan Jauregui scored his 18th goal of the season when he broke free for a score in the 16th minute. Espinoza was credited with the assist on his cross-pass from the left side.

Lopez scored the first of his two goals in the 43rd minute. Sophomore Angel
Gomez fed Lopez with a breakaway pass up the middle, which he nailed past Cerritos goal keeper Robert Carrillo to give the Dons a 2-0 lead heading
into halftime.

Lopez tallied his team-leading 21st goal when he closed the scoring for
Santa Ana on a penalty kick in the 70th minute. The Dons were awarded the
free strike after Espinoza was taken down by a charging Carrillo inside the
penalty box.

Santa Ana Freshman Adalberto Tostado (89 minutes) and sophomore Eric Gomez (1 min.) combined for the shutout, while Carrillo came up with four saves in the losing effort for the Falcons.

Santa Ana closes the season as the nation's only undefeated team with a
19-0-4 mark and is expected capture its second national championship when the final NSCAA/adidas Division III Men's Soccer poll is released this week.

Cerritos, making its first state final appearance under first-year head
coach Juan Sanchez, ends the 2004 season with a 16-5-3 overall record.

Article courtesy of Chris Ruiz, California Community College Sports Information Association (CCCSIA)

December 4, 2004
Santa Ana To Play For State Title; Blanks Hartnell

OXNARD, CA - Peter Espinoza scored one goal and assisted on two others as the Santa Ana College (18-0-4) men's soccer team eliminated Hartnell College (17-5-2) with a 3-0 win in the semifinals of the 2004 Citi California Community Colleges Commission on Athletics Men's Soccer Championships begin held at Oxnard College, Saturday.

The Dons will face Cerritos College (16-4-3) at
2 p.m. on Sunday, December 5 for the state title. The Falcons upset Santa Rosa Junior College
(17-1-2), 2-1, in the other semifinals match. The Bear Cubs entered the state soccer championships as the nation's top ranked team according to the NSCCA/adidas poll.

Espinoza scored the only goal that Santa Ana would need 21 minutes into the match off a pass from Hamilton Lopez. Angel Gomez gave the Dons a 2-0 halftime lead when he scored the first of his two goals at the 38-minute mark off a pass from Espinoza.

Gomez and Espinoza teamed up for the Dons third and final goal in the 63rd minute.

So far in the playoffs, Espinoza has has contributed on 10 of the 12 goals scored by the Dons scoring five goals and assisting on five others. For the season the freshman forward has recorded 18 goals and 20 assists.

Santa Ana shut down Hartnell's Ismael Ibarra who came into the match leading the state in scoring with 28 goals. The Dons limited Ibarra to two shots and just one in goal. The Dons outshot the Panthers, 17-6, overall.

Adalberto Tostado had two saves for the Dons while Hartnell's goalkeeper Cesar Caldera gave up three goals while recording seven saves.

Next: 2004 Citi California Community College Men's State Soccer Championships, December 5, 2004 at Oxnard College . Men's finals:
#1S Santa Ana College (18-0-4) vs #2S Cerritos College (16-4-3 ).

November 23, 2004
Santa Ana Punches State Championship Ticket

SANTA ANA, CA - Santa Ana College (17-0-4) will be making its first California Community Colleges Men's Soccer Championship appearance in three years as the top-seeded Dons shutout visiting Palomar College
(14-5-3 ), 6-0, in a Southern California Regional finals match played at Santa Ana College, Tuesday. The Dons will face Hartnell College (17-4-2) on December 4 at 2 p.m. in the semifinals of the State Soccer Championships that will be held at Oxnard College. Hartnell advanced to the State Soccer Championships with a 1-0 win over DeAnza College (13-7-3) in its regional finals match on Tuesday.

Peter Espinoza and Hamilton Lopez each scored three goals a piece to pace Santa Ana. Espinoza also had two assists to go along with his three goals. Lopez put the Dons scoreboard first with a goal in the 14th minute off a pass from Espinoza while Espinoza gave the Dons a 2-0 halftime lead with his first goal in the 38th minute. Espinoza made it 3-0 with his second goal just two minutes into the second half.

The Dons took advantage of the Comets' frustration by scoring three shorthanded goals in an eight-minute span after Palomar's Miguel Barrogan received his second yellow card of the day at the 55-minute mark. Lopez had back-to-back goals in the 61st and 63rd minute while Espinoza rounded out the scoring with his third and final goal off a corner kick from Osiris Saligan with 20 minutes remaining .

Next: California Community College State Soccer Championships , December 4-5, 2004 at Oxnard College . Men's semifinal matches on Saturday, December 4: #1S Santa Ana College (17-0-4) vs #2N Hartnell College (17-4-2 ) and #1N Santa Rosa (17-0-2) vs #2S Cerritos College
(15-4-3 ). The winners of the two semifinal matches will play for the state title on Sunday, December 5. All men's state soccer matches will be played at
2 p.m.

November 20, 2004
Santa Ana Eliminates Moorpark; Hosts Palomar

SANTA ANA, CA - Peter Espinoza's goal in the 46th minute broke a 1-1 tie as top-seeded Santa Ana (16-0-3) moved to within one win of advancing to the 2004 California Community College Men's Soccer Championships with a 3-1 win over eighth-seeded Moorpark, Saturday.

Santa Ana, the third-ranked team in the nation, scored three unanswered goals after Devin Toohey gave the visiting Pirates a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick just nine minutes into the game. Rene Corona pulled the Dons even eight minutes later with a shot off a pass from Espinoza in the 17th minute. Following Espinoza's go-ahead score two minutes into the second half, Hamilton Lopez gave Santa Ana an insurance goal when he headed in a corner kick from Corona at the 57-minute mark.

The Dons will host fifth-seeded Palomar College (14-4-3) on Tuesday, November 23 in a Southern California Regional finals match. The Comets upset four-ranked and Pacific Coast Conference-rival Southwestern (13-4-2), 3-1, in their second round regional match. It was the third meeting between the two teams this season with each team winning on the opponent’s home field.

Miguel Barragan, Tadd Dolfo and Shin Takemura each tallied goals in the win. Takemura was also responsible for both goals in Palomar’s 2-0, first-round victory over visiting and 12th-seeded Rio Hondo College (15-5-0).

The winner of Tuesday’s soccer match will be one of two teams representing Southern California in the California Community College Men’s Soccer Championships that will be held on December 4-5 at Oxnard College. Second-seeded Cerritos College (14-4-3) will be hosting third-seeded Pasadena City College (11-3-5) for the other Southern California spot in the state championships.

November 10, 2004
Seven Dons Land On All-Conference Teams

COSTA MESA, CA - Seven members of the Santa Ana College men's soccer team were named to the all-Orange Empire Conference (OEC) teams at Wednesday's OEC coaches meeting including four on the first team. The Dons claimed their 11th consecutive OEC title with an 11-0-3 conference mark.

Three sophomores hed the list of first team honorees in midfielder Rene Corona (Corona Centennial HS), forward Jonathan Jauregui (Loara HS) and midfielder Osiris Saligan (Anaheim HS). Forward Peter Espinoza (Century HS), who is tied for the team-scoring lead with 40 points (13 goals, 15 assists), was the lone Santa Ana freshman to earn first team honors. Jauregui, who has also scoring 40 points, leads the team with 18 goals while Corona and Saligan rank fourth and sixth in scoring with 23 and 10 points, respectively.

Those named to the conference's second team include a trio of freshmen in midfielder Ramiro Galindez (Orange HS), forward Hamilton Lopez (Mexico) and Hugo Ramos (Western HS).

Orange Coast College's Jose Serpas was named the Orange Empire Conference Most Valuable Player while first-year head coach Rod Petkovic was chosen as the Coach of the Year by his peers.

November 9, 2004
Santa Ana Blasts IVC; Readies For SoCal Playoffs

IRVINE, CA - Hamilton Lopez scored three goals and assisted on two others as the Santa Ana men's soccer team routed defending state and national champion Irvine Valley College, 7-3, in Orange Empire Conference (OEC) action, Wednesday.

After a pair of conference ties in their last two outing, the Dons' offense came alive in the season finale for both team. Santa Ana, who is currently ranked third in the nation, is now 15-0-4 overall and 11-0-3 in league play. Despite the two ties, Santa Ana won its 11th consecutive OEC title and first under new head coach Jose Vasquez.

The Dons also received goals from Rene Corona, Hugo Ramos, Jonathan Jauregui and Gabriel Adrouin in the win. Santa Ana goalkeeper Eric Gomez gave up two goals and recorded three assists in the first 45 minutes while Adalberto Tostado allowed one goal and stopped three shots of his own in the second half.

With the regular season complete, the Dons will have to wait until Thursday (November 11) to find out who their next opponent will be when the California Community College Men's Soccer Tournament pairing are announced. Tournament pairing will be posted here as soon as they become available.

Next: California Community College Men's Soccer Playoffs.

November 5, 2004
Santa Ana Tied By Orange Coast, 2-2

SANTA ANA, CA - Orange Coast College came back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to earn a 2-2 tie at Santa Ana College when Miguel Ochoa's header off a pass from Will Sanchez cleared the outstretched hands of Dons' goalkeeper Adalberto Tostado two minutes into the extended play period.

Santa Ana took a 2 -0 lead into halftime as it received goals from Jonathan Jauregui and Peter Espinoza. Jaurgei gave the Dons a 1-0 lead when he drove home a pass from Hamilton Lopez 10 minutes into the match. Espinoza increased the advantage to 2-0 scoring off a corner kick in the 37th minute as Santa Ana out shot the visiting Pirates, 9-2, in the opening 45 minutes.

Jose Serpas started the Pirates' come back with a goal off a pass from Eli Solis in the 69th minute.

Defense dominated the final 21 minutes until Ochoa tied the game with his goal in the final minutes.

Santa Ana goalkeeper Tostado gave up two goals and recorded two saves on the day, while Orange Coast 's Trenton Painter allowed two goals and stopped seven including a shot by the Dons' Edgar Sanchez late in the game.

It's the second time this season that the two teams have played to a tie. In the first meeting at Orange Coast , Santa Ana overcame a 3-0 deficit of its own to earn a 3-3 tie with the Pirates.

Santa Ana 's record now stands at 14-0-4 overall and 10-0-3 in the Orange Empire Conference. Orange Coast 's record is 9-4-5 overall and 7-2-4 in the league

Next: Santa Ana will wrap up its regular season on Tuesday, November 9 when it travels to Irvine Valley College to take on the defending state and national champion in OEC action at 3 p.m.

October 26, 2004
Third-Ranked Dons Continue Roll With 5-1 Win

SANTA ANA, CA - Giovanni Melloni gave visiting Riverside Community College an early 1-0 lead in its match with Santa Ana College, but it was short lived as the Dons responded with five unanswered goals to win their fourth consecutive match, 5-1, and remain undefeated in Orange
Empire Conference (OEC) action on Tuesday.

The Dons (13-0-2, 9-0-1), who moved up eight spots in the NSCAA/adidas national rankings from 11th to third, received two goals each from Hugo Ramos (Western HS) and Jonathan Jauregui (Loara HS) and one from Rene Corona in the win .

Jauregui tied the game at 1-1 when he scored off of Corona's pass in the 32nd minute while Ramos put the Dons ahead for good at 2-1 four minutes later when he knocked in a save attempt that was mishandled by Riverside goalkeeper Gabriel Esqueda. Jauregui made it 3-1 at the intermission when he chipped in a long pass from Osiris Saligan (Anaheim HS) 38th-minute mark.

Ramos made it 4-1 with his second goal of the game in the 49th minute off a pass from Peter Espinoza (Century HS) while Corona capped off the match's scoring by beating Esqueda in the 63rd minute.

Esqueda had a game-high 10 saves for the Tigers while Santa Ana 's Eric Gomez (Santiago HS) and Adalberto Tostado each finished with one save apiece as the Dons out shot the Tigers, 27-7.

Next: Santa Ana will travel to district-rival Santiago Canyon College on Friday, October 25 to take on the Hawks in an Orange Empire Conference match scheduled to start at 3 p.m.

October 19, 2004
Espinoza's Three Goals Lead to 6-0 SAC Win

SANTA ANA, CA - Peter Espinoza scored three goals and Edgar Sanchez scored twice as the Santa Ana College men's soccer team shut out visiting Golden West College , 6-0, in Orange Empire Conference action, Wednesday. Sanchez's first goal gave the Dons the only score they would need just nine minutes into the game as Santa Ana improved to 11-0-2 overall and 7-0-1 in the OEC.

Sanchez's made it 2-0 with his second goal at the 24-minute mark . Espinoza scored two of his three goals just before halftime to give the Dons a 4-0 advantage at the break. The Century High School-product scored back-to-back goals in the 43rd and 45th minute.

Espinoza, following a score by Hamilton Lopez that made it 5-0 in the 62nd minute, capped the game's scoring when he knocked in a corner kick from Abel Ruiz with nine minutes remaining in the contest. He also had one assist to go along with his three goals. Angel Gomez, Jonathan Jauregui Alfredo Mondragon and Rene Corona each recorded an assist for the Dons.

Santa Ana out shot the Rustlers, 28-3, as Eric Gomez tallied three saves for Dons.

Golden West's Steven Armendariz had two of the Rustlers' three shots on goal while Steve Stemmer recorded eight first-half saves followed by Brandon Puckett who had three saves of his own in the second half. Stemmer gave up four goals while Puckett allowed two.

The loss drops Golden West to 5-7 overall and 2-6 in the conference.

Next: Santa Ana will travel to Cypress on Friday, October 22 to take on the Chargers in an OEC contest set to start at 3 p.m.

October 15, 2004
Lopez Breaks 1-1 Tie; SAC Increases OEC Lead

SANTA ANA, CA - Hamilton Lopez's goal off a pass from Hugh Ramos (Western HS) in the 79 th minute broke a 1-1 tie as Santa Ana College
(10-0-2, 6-0-1) downed visiting and defending national champion Irvine Valley College, 3-1, in Orange Empire Conference (OEC) men's soccer action, Friday. The win increased the 13th -ranked Dons' OEC lead to five points over second-place Orange Coast College as the Pirates tied Fullerton College, 4-4, in a match played at Fullerton.

Angel Gomez (Granada Hills HS) gave Santa Ana an early 1-0 lead as he converted a crossing pass from Ramiro Galindez (Orange HS) 24 minutes into the match. The Lasers ( 3-8-2, 1-4-2) would draw even with the Dons 10 minutes later as Alfredo Cruz beat his defender and drilled a shot past Santa Ana goalkeeper Adalberto Tostado to tie the game, 1-1, in the 34th minute.

Irvine Valley goalkeeper Joe Ascona kept the Lasers close by recording 11 saves as the Dons got off 26 shots in the match including 14 on goal. Irvine Valley managed just four shots against the Dons.

Lopez gave Santa Ana the lead for good with his goal from 10-yards out. The Dons would tack on another goal for good measure as Gomez scored his second goal of the match in the 90 th minute. Gomez goal came off Ramo's second assist of the match.

The win improves the Dons to 10-0-2 overall and 6-0-1 while the Lasers fall to 3-8-2 overall and 1-4-2 in the league.

Next: Santa Ana will begin the second round of league play when the Dons host Golden West College on Tuesday, October 19 at 3 p.m.

October 8 , 2004
Jauregui, Saligan Lead Dons to 7-1 Over Fullerton

SANTA ANA, CA - The Santa Ana College men's soccer team avenged last year's 2-1 loss to Fullerton College in the 2003 Southern California Regional Soccer Playoffs with a 7-1 win over the Hornets in Orange Empire Conference men's soccer action, Friday. The win improves 13th -ranked Santa Ana 's record to 9-0-1 overall and 5-0-0 in the OEC while the Hornets suffer their first loss of the season falling to 5-1-4 overall and 2-1-2 in the league.

Jonathan Jauregui (Loara HS) recorded his first hat trick of season and scored what proved to be the game winning goal with his first score just 14 minutes into the match. Osiris Saligan (Anaheim HS), who scored twice against the Hornets, gave the Dons an early lead with a shot off a pass from Angel Gomez two minutes into the match. He later scored in the 73rd minute.

After Santa Ana took an early 2-0 lead, George Hernandez cut the Dons lead to 2-1 with Fullerton's

only goal in the 27th minute.

Hamilton Lopez (Guatemala) gave Santa Ana a 3-1 halftime lead with his only goal in the 40th minute. The Dons scored four unanswered goals in the second half including two by Jauregui to remain the only undefeated team in the OEC. The Dons, who out shot the Hornets, 16-5, have outscored their conference opponents, 26-2, in their first five matches.

Santa Ana 's Adalberto Tostado gave up just one goal in 90 minutes while recording three saves. Fullerton 's Salvador Garcia, who tallied six saves, gave up seven goals to the Dons.

Next: Santa Ana will travel to Costa Mesa on Tuesday, October 12 to take on Orange Coast College in a match scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.

September 13, 2004
Santa Ana Has Scoreless Streak Snapped In 4-1 Win

SANTA ANA, CA - The Santa Ana College men's soccer team remained unbeaten with a 4-1 win over visiting Taft College in a non-conference match on Monday. The Dons overcame its first deficit of the season as Daniel Soto-Fuentes gave the Cougars an early 1-0 lead just four minutes into the match when he beat goalkeeper Adalberto Tostado with a shot from seven yards out.

Santa Ana answered its slow start with three first-half goals of its own as Alfredo Mondragon (Foothill HS), Rene Corona (Corona Centennial HS) and Angel Gomez (Granada Hills HS) found the net and gave the Dons a 3-1 halftime lead with goals in the 17th , 19th and 45th minute, respectively.

Jonathan Juaregui (Loara HS) scored the only goal of the second half off a pass by Osiris Saligan (Anaheim HS) who finished the day with two assists.

Soto-Fuentes' goal in the opening minutes of the game was the first score the Dons have allowed in its first four games of the season. Santa Ana shut out Southwestern College (5-0), Chaffey College (10-0) in its first two games before playing Mt. San Antonio to a tie (0-0) last Friday. The Dons had held their opponents scoreless for 139 consecutive minutes before Monday's goal.

The win improves Santa Ana 's overall record to
3-0-1 while Taft falls to 4-2-2.

Next: Santa Ana will face Rio Hondo College at 2 p.m. on Friday, September 17 in its final non-conference game of the season before opening up Orange Empire Conference (OEC) action on September 24 at Golden West College (GWC).

September 7, 2004
Ramos Nets Hat Trick In SAC's 10-0 Shutout

SANTA ANA, CA - Hugo Ramos (Western HS) came off the bench to score three second half goals as Santa Ana College (SAC) shutout visiting Victor Valley College (VVC), 10-0, in non-conference soccer action, Tuesday. The start of the game was delayed 35 minutes because a fire along Highway 15 that forced VVC to take an alternate route to the match.

The Dons (2-0) scored three times in the first half on goals by Jonathan Jaurejui (Loara HS), Rene Corona (Corona Centennial HS) and Peter Espinoza (Century HS) in the second, 14 th and 25th minute, respectively, and never looked back. SAC scored seven times in the second half including four within a nine minute span.

Jaurejui, Corona and Espinoza each finished with two goals and two assists apiece while Ruben Velasquez (Orange HS) rounded out the Don scoring with one goal.

SAC outshot VVC, 33-1, to improve to 2-0 on the year. The Rams fell to
0-2-1 overall with the loss.

Next: Santa Ana will travel to Mt. San Antonio College on Friday, September 10 for its first non-conference soccer match of the season.
Game time is set for 4 p.m.

September 1, 2004
Santa Ana Shutout Southwestern, 5-0, In Opener;
Vasquez Earns First Collegiate Coaching Win

SANTA ANA, CA - First-year head coach Jose Vasquez won his collegiate coaching debut as the Santa Ana College (SAC) men's soccer team downed visiting Southwestern College , 5-0, in the season-opener for both teams. Vasquez replaced SAC soccer icon J.P. Frutos, who retired at the conclusion of the 2003 men's soccer season. Frutos had led the Dons to 15 conference and four state championships and one national title in 22 seasons at the college.

Jonathan Jauregui (Loara HS) scored the first the only goal that the Dons would need off an assist by Rene Corona (Corona Centennial HS) in the sixth minute. Jauregui finished with two goals on the day after scoring again in the 58th minute.

Peter Espinoza (Century HS) added a goal and two assists in his first collegiate game. Espinoza gave SAC a 2-0 with shot in the 18 th minute off a scoring pass from Salvador Amaya. He assisted on scoring shots by Edgar Sanchez (Santiago HS) in the 56th minute and Jauregui at the 58 minute mark.

Abel Ruiz (Santa Ana HS) rounded out the Dons' scoring with a goal in the 68th minute.

Santa Ana out shot the visiting Panthers, 23-7, and limited the 2003 Pacific Coast Conference champions to just three shots on goal.

Next: Santa Ana will host Victor Valley College (VVC) in another non-conference soccer match on Tuesday, September 7 at 1 p.m.