After a season off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the defending IEAC Champs, Roadrunners Men's Soccer, looks to return to the field for the upcoming 2021 season, returning seven players from the 2019 team, including two All-Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) selections.

In October of 2020, Enrique Cardenas resigned to take a full-time assistant coaching position with the Titans Men's Soccer program at California State University, Fullerton. Coach Cardenas left the Roadrunners Men's Soccer team in the capable hands of his assistant coach, Manuel "Pato" Hurtado.

In his first season at the helm, Coach Hurtado looks to bring back All-Conference defenders, Vincenzo Costagliola (Palm Springs H.S.) and Jason Teran (La Quinta H.S.). The back-to-back Conference Champs finished with a record of 10-10-2 overall and 5-3 in conference play in 2019, and prospects continue to look up for the 2021 season.

The Roadrunners will open the season on August 27 at home against the Cerritos Falcons at Boone Field under the lights for a 5 p.m. kick off. For the third straight season, Desert opens up with the perennial State Title contenders and the Roadrunners have a 3-1-1 record all time at home versus the Falcons, including the 2018 stunner, in which Desert knocked off Cerritos, who were ranked #3 in the Nation at the time.

Then on August 31, Desert hosts a team they have not faced since 2004 and a team which they are looking to change their fortunes around with, the Golden West Rustlers. The Rustlers hold a 3-0 all-time record on the Roadrunners since they first played against one another in 1983, but neither team has faced each other in Palm Desert.

According to Hurtado, Desert Men's Soccer will have 7 players coming back from the 2019 team and 2 players coming back from the 2017 team:

*Three from La Quinta H.S., all from the 2019 team: Goalkeeper Sebastian Ascencio, midfielder Jonathan Delgado and All-IEAC defender Jason Teran.
*Two from Desert Hot Springs H.S., both from the 2019 team: Goalkeeper Roly Segura and defender Ezekiel Minero
*Three from Thermal Coachella Valley, two from 2017 and a player from the 2019 team: midfielder Gilberto Uribe, midfielder Ramon Felix and defender Omar Felix.
*One from Palm Springs H.S., a player from the 2019 team: All-IEAC defender Vincenzo Costagliola.

Coach Hurtado listed off his expectations of his returning players, stating, "Desert Men's Soccer has a very organized and hardworking group of returners coming back for the 2021 season. My expectations for all the returners, is for them to take a big leadership role on and off the field. Implementing our competitive culture and assisting new members of the Roadrunners family with the day to day expectations of what it means to be a Roadrunner."

Due to the COVID-19 shutdown which affected many California Community College campuses, including College of the Desert, many Class of 2020 recruits have never stepped foot on campus or have not been on campus since early 2020 when they visited. Just to name a few that look like they should be competing at a very high level will be Faris Ceranic and Erick Barcenas from Palm Desert H.S., Rosario Ramirez from Thermal Desert Mirage, Jorge Quintero from Thermal Coachella Valley, Leo Jimenez from Rancho Mirage H.S. and Esteban Vargas from Indio H.S. All were from the Class of 2020.

From the Class of 2021, Desert Men's Soccer has brought in more local talent from the Coachella Valley: Keith Hamilton and Emiliano Ascencio from La Quinta H.S., Adolfo Leon and Jorge Ochoa from Rancho Mirage H.S., Emilio Rivera from Palm Desert H.S. and Jesse Loaiza from Thermal Coachella Valley.

The exhibition and non-Conference schedule for Desert Men's Soccer is tough for a reason. Back-to-back Conference Titles means you have to be prepared to defend those championships, to continue to make the CCCAA Regional Playoffs.

Starting with a great scrimmage/exhibition at the Azusa Pacific Cougars, a NCAA DII team, that during the 2019 season accomplished a very impressive 18-0 record in non-Conference and PacWest Conference play.

The Roadrunners first non-Conference game, and home opener, will be against the Cerritos Falcons. A notorious powerhouse, who was the 2018 CCCAA State Champion. Later in the season, Desert will be at the Mt. San Antonio Mounties on September 28, who was a Finalist in the 2019 CCCAA State Championships and the Golden West Rustlers, who was a finalist in the 2018 CCCAA State Final against the Cerritos Falcons.

Coach Hurtado commented, "Playing 3 of the last 4 CCCAA State Finalists gives us an extremely competitive non-Conference schedule. Not counting any of the other nine non-Conference games against high quality teams such as Taft, Santa Ana and Cuyamaca, to name a few."

Desert Men's Soccer will begin their second season in the IEAC as the defending Conference Champs. Half of the teams in the IEAC appeared in the 2019 CCCAA SoCal Regional Playoffs, returning back to the playoffs will be a hurdle that Hurtado knows will be difficult, yet achievable. Coach Hurtado commented, "we expect every game to be played like a playoff game, so that when the playoffs arrive, none of our student athletes have to step up their game, they will already be ready. In our six team Conference, five of those teams are extremely competitive. Even against teams that are not as competitive, we cannot afford to drop games to teams like that. Regardless of record, all of the teams in our Conference are well coached and organized, which makes for an extremely competitive conference."

The Roadrunners look forward to defending their Conference title from 2019, which, Coach Hurtado admitted, "will not be easy, but we will prepare accordingly and be ready for the challenges that will come."

The Desert Men's Soccer coaching staff will consist of the return of Carlos Serratos who is the Roadrunners Goalkeeper Coach. Coach Serratos adds great experience and a high level of experience, having played at the highest of levels professionally and gives us great input for our keepers and at times the team as a whole.

Familiar faces to Roadrunners fans, Luis Gastelum (Rancho Mirage H.S.) and Alejandro "Dante" Delgado (Thermal Coachella Valley) from the amazing 2018 Desert Men's Soccer team, will be Roadrunners assistant coaches, whom Hurtado is extremely excited for.

Coach Hurtado commented on the additions of Gastelum and Delgado saying, "Both have great grasp of what being a Roadrunner is like and our culture runs through them like no other. They will be great assets in helping our guys on all that is needed to be successful on and off the field as a Student Athlete."

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For additional information, please contact the COD Sports Information Office at 760.423.6641.

Information, Story & Photo provided by COD Sports Information.