The De Anza men’s soccer team drew a 2-2 tie with Cañada College on Friday Oct. 25.

To start the game, De Anza controlled the tempo by dominating the ball offensively and defensively.

Sophomore mid-fielder Cory Rodas scored the first goal at 9:45. Rodas headed the ball into the net after sophomore back fielder Evan Leedeman threw the ball inbounds.

Cañada had a difficult time penetrating the De Anza defense until 21 minutes into the match when sophomore goalkeeper Bryan Franco denied a shot with a diving block.

Shortly after the defensive stop, a De Anza penalty allowed Cañada to score a goal on a free kick.

Determined to break the tie, De Anza responded by attacking the goal with more shots.

Their efforts paid off at 36 minutes when freshman midfielder Diego Medina scored on a penalty kick as the ball went right and the goalkeeper dove left.

At halftime, De Anza had the lead with a score of 2-1.

Entering the second half, the Dons lost some of their execution from the first half. Cañada came out of the break fast and focused, culminating with a goal at 54 minutes.

With the score equal at 2-2, the Dons regained their focus and challenged the Cañada goalkeeper with constant threats.

Although there were a few close calls, no more goals were scored, and the tie was preserved.

“All the games are tight right now,” said coach of the De Anza team Kulwant Singh. “We just have to execute a little better in the attack and keep defending better.”