2023 Season in Review - COD Men’s Soccer

Under the tutelage of third-year head coach Manuel "Pato" Hurtado, Desert finished the regular season with a record 8-9-3 overall and 3-5 in conference. The Roadrunners placed 4th in the Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC).

The complete list of All-Inland Empire Athletic Conference honorees can be found HERE

Men's Soccer also collected some notable victories and games in 2023 as they faced Bakersfield for the first time on the road and grabbed the win, knocking off Mt. San Antonio for the first time since 1979 and hosted Santa Ana for the first time.

Sophomore forward Jose Calderon, Jr. (Thermal Desert Mirage) was named First team All-IEAC. He was the Conference leader in four major statistical categories, goals (15), assists (9), Points (39) and shots (62). Towards the end of the season, Calderon, Jr. (nicknamed "Caldo") was nearing the record of goals in a season (19), scored in the 2018 season by fellow Desert Mirage H.S. grad, Alejandro Pimentel. Efforts were pushed by the team to try and get Calderon, Jr. that record, only to fall a few goals short. Out of the 15 goals scored, including a 4-goal effort against Imperial Valley on September 20th, surprisingly, Caldo only had one game winning goal. It was a big one, breaking a 44-year drought and knocking off the Mt. San Antonio Mounties in Walnut on September 26th.

Sophomore midfielder Alejandro Serrano-Carranza (Calexico H.S.) was also named First team All-IEAC. He was tied for fourth in Conference in shots with 31 and grabbed huge goals in a home tie with the Cerritos Falcons on August 25 and a home win over the Chaffey Panthers on October 6.

Freshman midfielder Yahir Garcia (Thermal Desert Mirage) was named Second team All-IEAC, starting 18 of 20 games this past season, García represented a huge presence in the middle for the Roadrunners. He scored the lone goal at the Oxnard Condors on October 3, grabbing key assists in games at home against Long Beach City on August 29 and at home against the Taft Cougars on September 12.

Freshman midfielder Carlos Cervantes (Palm Desert Xavier College Prep) was also named Second team All-IEAC. Sophomore midfielder Jorge Ochoa, Jr. (Rancho Mirage H.S.) was named Honorable Mention All-IEAC and freshman defender Liam Keane (Palm Springs H.S.) was also named Honorable Mention All-IEAC.

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

Information, Story & Photos provided by COD Sports Information.