The Dons boy’s soccer program had one of their best seasons in years this 2019-2020 season. They had a solid group consisting of talented seniors who were going to make sure their last season would be remembered as a good year, and juniors and sophomores who wanted to show everyone that age did not matter. The Dons coaching staff was great, and were a big part of bringing the team together whenever the games got tight. After a great start and much premise, unexpectedly the Dons did not make it to the CIF championships, losing in the semifinals.

The Dons were looking strong going into CIF playoffs, as they went undefeated in Channel League with a record of 8-0-2, their two ties coming from the rivalry games against San Marcos. They only lost one game in the regular season, against San Clemente, who at that time were ranked number one in the country. They had an overall record of 19-1-4, a very strong record going in the playoffs and proved to everyone that they would be a very difficult team to beat. 

Their first CIF playoff game was against Harvard-Westlake at San Marcos. The Dons had home field advantage, so they would already start with the upper hand. The game started out fast for the Dons, as they struck first in the first eight minutes, but for most of the rest of the game, it was all Harvard-Westlake. They scored two goals and the game seemed out of reach for the Dons, even only being down one. Then a miracle happened in the final ten minutes; the Dons were able to find the back of the net and force the game into overtime. Then, in overtime, it was all Dons. The boys seemed to find a serge of energy as they got many stops on defense and eventually were able to score to seal the comeback victory, as they won 3-2. Their next game would be against Mater Dei at Mater Dei High School, a team known for having a good athletic program, so it would not be an easy game for the Dons.

Although coming into the game it seemed like a tough challenge for the Dons, the Dons were about to keep their composure and come out with the victory as they scored 2 goals in a 5 minute span and keeping the well known Mater Dei scoreless throughout the game. This was a big moral booster for the Dons going into the semifinals. Their next game would be against Cathedral High at home.

Although this season was such a strong one for the Dons filled with fun and exciting games and an amazing team, it came to an end in the semifinals. Only one goal was scored between the two teams and it was not from the Dons, as Cathedral High were a very good defensive team, and were able to keep the talented Dons athletes from scoring. Even after getting good looks, the Dons were never able to find the back of the net.

Although the season may not have gone as the boys would have liked it, it was still a very entertaining season and helped confirm that the Dons soccer program was not to be taken lightly. And although they are losing some of their senior captains who are graduating, they still have a talented young core who can bring the Dons back to the same spot they were this year, and hopefully even farther. Congrats to the Dons for having such an outstanding season  and making in all the way to the CIF semifinals.