Rio Hondo Men’s soccer team beat LA Mission 3-1 on Friday, September 13 in a game that started as a nightmare, but ended perfectly. Rio Hondo forward Federico Hurtado scored a hat-trick for the Roadrunners after being down 1-0 early in the first half.

Tough First Half For Rio

Rio Hondo started the match well, pressing their rivals and owning the possession of the ball. After 10 minutes of good football, LA Mission was able to find a a break and took the lead in the 10th minute with a goal from forward Willy Pocasangre.

LA Mission wanted more and almost doubled their lead from a free kick. But Rio Hondo goalkeeper Jafet Salgado kept the Roadrunners in the game thanks to an outstanding save. The Roadrunners began to create chances but their poor finishing kept them from leveling things even. Rio Hondo would finally get on the scoreboard in the 35th minute after Hurtado scored from inside the box

Rio Hondo Dominated the Second Period.

After a tough first half, the Roadrunners changed the tide of the game and took control of the second half. Rio Hondo scored two goals in one minute, allowing them to take better control of the game. Hurtado notched his second goal of the match in the 53rd minute after a LA Mission mistake. One minute later, Hurtado would grab his hat-trick thanks to an incredible header that would calm things for the Roadrunners.

LA Mission began to drop their heads as they struggled to equalize the game. As the Roadrunners took control of the game, it made it harder for LA Mission to hold on to something. Rio Hondo Head Coach Orlando Brenes  began to make some changes, giving other players playing time. After the final whistle, Hurtado spoke out about the game

“We ended up playing how we are supposed to play throughout the season,” said Hurtado, “as long as we keep playing how we practice, then we will get there.”

Rio Hondo Needs To Improve

Rio Hondo haven’t had the pre-season that they would have wished for. The Roadrunners so far have a negative record of 2-3-1. Rio Hondo will continue their pre-season when they receive Santa Monica College on September 17. Meanwhile, LA Mission will attempt to grab their first victory against Chaffey College this upcoming Tuesday.