COD (4-12) grabbed the 100th win in program history and Jianna Guerrero had a hat trick, as Desert scored four goals in the first half and throttled the Imperial Valley Arabs (0-14-1), 8-0. 

Sophomore starting goal keeper Maranda Palmer (Twentynine Palms H.S.) and freshman goal keeper Mya Martinez (Indio Shadow Hills) split the clean sheet as the Roadrunners grabbed their second straight shutout.

It did not take long for the Roadrunners to get onto the scoreboard as freshman defender Vicky Vasquez (Thermal Coachella Valley) passed a through ball forward to sophomore forward Tiana Kubitz (Cathedral City H.S.) who lifted a shot up over the Arabs keeper, bouncing behind the player and dribbling in to give the home side a 1-0 lead in the 6th minute.

By the 12th minute, Desert had found the back of the net again as freshman defender Taylor Doyle (La Quinta H.S.) ran a route up the right side and passed the ball to sophomore midfielder Analise Anzaldua (Indio H.S.) who unleashed a shot from about 30 yards out, as the wind caught the ball it curved downward and bounced into the lower left corner of the net to give the Roadrunners a 2-0 lead.

The Roadrunners had their third goal by the 26th minute as sophomore forward Melita Pena (La Quinta H.S.) poked the ball away from the Imperial Valley keeper and flicked it to freshman forward Jianna Guerrero (La Quinta H.S.) who found herself all alone in front of the net and pounded the shot home.

In the 33rd minute, freshman forward Celeste Padilla (Blythe Palo Verde) took a point blank shot, which caused the Arabs keeper to dive and punch away, but right to the feet of Pena, who hammered the shot from inside the goal box, giving Desert a 4-0 lead.

Back from the halftime break, Guerrero grabbed her second of three goals on the afternoon in the 65th minute, this time taking a pass from freshman midfielder Jazmin Zamudio (Thermal Coachella Valley) and going left, then punching a shot, which skipped right into the center of the net.

In the 75th minute, Zamudio found Guerrero again, this time Guerrero was right in front of the net and after skipping past the Arabs keeper, gently pushed the shot over the line, giving the Roadrunners a 6-0 lead.

By the 81st minute, Zamudio had her third assist of the day, after she ran up the right side of the field and crossed a shot left to a waiting sophomore midfielder Yuliana Alonso (Cathedral City H.S.) who zeroed in on her first goal of the season, giving Desert a 7-0 lead.

In the 85th minute, freshman midfielder Elizabeth Trujillo (Cathedral City H.S.) grabbed her first assist of the season, finding Pena for her sixth goal of the year, as Trujillo crossed the ball left over to Pena and Pena rifled a shot into the right side of the net.

The last time Desert scored nine goals in a game was at home on September 16, 2016 against Compton, which also garnered a 9-0 result.

The next game for the Roadrunners is this Friday at Palomar College and the next home game for Desert is on November 3rd against MiraCosta.

Photo by Britney Vargas (COD Sports Information)
Information, Photos & Story provided by COD Sports Information.