COD Men's Soccer: Martinez's Hat Trick Powers Rout of Canyons

The College of the Desert men's soccer team cruised to its first home win over College of the Canyons (0-4), defeating the Cougars 7-1 on Tuesday night.

It was the Roadrunners' most lopsided home win since an 11-1 victory over Imperial Valley on September 23, 2025, and the first time Canyons has traveled to COD for a men's soccer match. The Roadrunners, who first faced the Cougars in 2019, improved to 3-1-1 all-time in the series.

Scoring Summary

* 9th minute: Sophomore forward Malakai Martinez (Palm Springs HS) opened the scoring off an assist from freshman midfielder Emilio Lucio (Rancho Mirage HS).
* 19th minute: Martinez scored his second of the night on an assist from sophomore forward Jonathan Price (La Quinta HS).
* 22nd minute: Martinez completed his hat trick — the first of his career — on a penalty kick.
* 30th minute: Sophomore forward Jonathan Price (La Quinta HS) netted his fourth goal of the season off a second assist from Lucio, giving Lucio his first multi-assist game of the year.
* 51st minute: Freshman forward Jairo Alcaraz (Desert Mirage HS) converted a penalty kick for his first goal of the game.
* 82nd minute: Alcaraz scored again, assisted by freshman defender Marco Sanchez (Rancho Mirage HS) — his second helper of the season — marking Alcaraz's first multi-goal game of the season.
* 90th minute: Sophomore defender Nicholas Nordell (Palm Springs HS) capped the scoring with his second goal of the season, with an assist by Alcaraz.

In goal, freshman Leonardo Castro (Holtville HS) earned his third win of the season, stopping five of six shots faced.

Up Next

The Roadrunners continue non-conference play Friday, September 18 at 5:30 p.m., hosting Long Beach City at home. COD first met the Vikings in 1979 and holds an 8-4-4 all-time record against them, including a 5-0-1 mark at Palm Desert. Since 2022, however, the series has favored Long Beach City (0-1-3), and COD's last win over the Vikings came on September 19, 1994 — a 2-0 decision in Palm Desert.

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

Information & Story provided by COD Sports Information. Photo by Darbie Catalfamo Photography.