COD (0-1-1) had many obstacles to overcome even before stepping onto the field, in the end, both teams completed the game and the Roadrunners received a clean sheet, as Desert tied the Golden West Rustlers of Huntington Beach, 0-0.

With all of those difficult decisions, the Men's game would be played, albeit about 15 minutes later than anticipated.

Then about 25 minutes into the game a dust storm blew in from the east, busting up nearly all of the mobile canopies, which are used to cover the players and support staff, and chasing a few fans parked on San Pablo Avenue into their vehicles.

But the game continued, as both teams refused to relent, even with the deteriorating weather conditions. The Rustlers would be on the attack the bulk of the first half, taking ten shots with sophomore goal keeper Roly Segura (Desert Hot Springs H.S.) snagging four saves.

The earlier Desert Women's Soccer game was pushed back once for lightening and then a second time for heat and humidity, when there was the threat of another delay possibly pushing the Men's game to a time which would be unplayable, the Women's game was postponed until a later date.

The Desert offensive attack would be stymied in the first half, being limited by the Golden West defense to only two shots, but moving the ball up field proved to be difficult. As any effort to kick a ball forward was met with a stiff and unrelenting wind gust which would push the ball back to near where it came from.

The game was well balanced away from the goal mouth, as Desert had collected six fouls in the first half and Golden West had five and both teams would go into the halftime break with no score.

As the second half kicked off, there was an ominous warning of far off thunder, which threatened to derail a well-played and competitive game.

In the 30th minute, a lightening strike crackled nearby enough to cause the Roadrunners Training Staff to put a temporary halt to the contest until the storm had past. Ushering both teams and staff into protected locations on campus.

With light dimming and the hopes of completing the contest going with it, the storm had, past and it was time to resume the contest. Both coaches and the head official agreed to a 10-minute wrap up to try and win the game on the field, before it became too dark to safely complete the game.

Opportunities came swiftly for both teams and Desert had two huge chances to put the game away, including in the final 90 seconds, when a shot by sophomore midfielder Emmanuel Munoz (La Quinta H.S.) ricocheted off of the right post. But, alas it would not be the case, as both teams wrapped up the 10-minute bonanza just in time to have another lightning storm pass nearby which would have cancelled the rest of the contest anyways.

-Spectator Notice-

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, access to College of the Desert's campuses and sporting venues is restricted. At this time, only pre-screened student-athletes, coaches, and support staff are allowed to attend athletic contests on our campus. Fans, families, and members of the public can view most home game action LIVE online by visiting our College of the Desert Athletics Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CollegeoftheDesertAthletics

Follow COD Athletics on Twitter @COD_Athletics Instagram @COD_Athletics or Facebook @College of the Desert Athletics

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

Information, Story & Photo provided by COD Sports Information.