It was a homecoming of special note for Bonita Vista High School alumnus Ramon Martin Del Campo, who ventured into the confines of Torero Stadium with his Las Vegas Lights teammates for last Saturday’s USL Championship match against the hometown San Diego Loyal.
Though there were no fans to cheer on the action between the Group B rivals in the league’s modified return to play format, there were still plenty of emotions on the field experienced by Martin Del Campo.
“It feels euphoric,” the 2011 BVHS graduate said. “It’s such a great feeling to see my city have a pro team. It deserves one. I think the Loyal is checking all the boxes to be a stellar franchise and San Diegans approve of that type of effort. They are loyal to that type of people.”
Martin Del Campo has been loyal to the game of soccer.
The former Baron standout earned a footnote in San Diego Section history when he scored the game-winning penalty kick from the mark in a 6-5 tiebreaker win over Mesa League rival Hilltop High School to enable his team to capture the 2011 Division II championship.
The archrivals had battled to a scoreless tie through regulation and overtime before the teams combined for 11 goals in the tiebreaker shootout.
Martin Del Campo hasn’t forgotten the moment, which remains frozen in time in his memory.
“I remember the ball hitting the back of net and celebrating an amazing milestone with my closet friends,” he recalled. “That was a very meaningful moment for me. And that team was a family to me. I still stay in close contact with many of those great men.”
Following his high school career, Martin Del Campo played four seasons of NCAA Division I soccer at UC Davis (2011-14). He appeared in 70 games, scoring three goals.
His strong performance in college attracted the notice of the United States National U23 team as one of 19 players in the nation invited to a week-long camp in the Bahamas in August 2014.
He spent that summer as a member of the San Jose Earthquakes U23 team in the Premier Development League, helping guide the Quakes to a 7-4-3 record and a third-place finish in the Western Conference in their inaugural season.
His strong performance in that league contributed to his selection as one of three finalists for the PDL’s Young Player of the Year Award.
His next step was at the professional level.
After being released following a preseason tryout with the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer, Martin Del Campo signed a two-year contract with Deportivo Saprissa in June 2015.
While on contract with the first division Costa Rican club, he was loaned to Puerto Rico FC in the North American Soccer League.
He signed with the Ottawa Fury of the United Soccer League in January 2017 and a year later with Fresno FC in the USL Championship, the league in which both the Lights and Loyal currently play.
He scored two goals in 24 matches with the Fury and six goals in 63 matches with Fresno.
It was while playing for Fresno FC (2018-19) that he earned the nickname of “Tacos De Buche” from fans for the grit and hunger he brought to each match.
He was among the most vocal players on the pitch in last Saturday’s match while directing the Las Vegas defense. Gifted with superior height, he even managed to contribute on a few offensive plays.
He acknowledged there are definite challenges to overcome while advancing to each level, from high school to college, from college to the professional level.
“The difference is the speed of play,” Martin Del Campo explained. “Everyone is quicker than the last level. The brain speed and decision making is lightning. And mistakes will cost you heavily as you progress through the level.”
The Lights fell to 0-1-1 following a gritty 2-1 setback to the Loyal in a rematch of teams that first met in the 2020 season opener on March 7. The first game finished in a 1-1 draw. The rematch appeared as if it might end the same way until Irvin Parra scored for the Loyal in the 65th minute to snap a 1-1 deadlock.
The Loyal had taken a 1-0 lead on a goal by Tumi Moshobane in the ninth minute while Las Vegas drew even on a rebound goal in stoppage time to end the first half.
San Diego goalkeeper Joe Kempin initially stopped a penalty kick by Jose Carrera, and then blocked the rebound shot before Rashawn Dally pounced on the second rebound to tap in the ball at the far post.
The Loyal earned a milestone with its first home victory in its inaugural season and remained in the hunt for a playoff berth by raising its record to 3-1-1.
“It’s really hard to give up a goal going into halftime, especially when we played pretty well with stretches in the first half,” San Diego manager Landon Donovan said. “The message was ‘forget about it.’ It’s over, there’s nothing else we can do, so we got to get ourselves over it and play well again and find the gold, win the game and that’s what they did and I’m really proud of them.
“It was a great finish and a big, big, three points for us.”
Martin Del Campo is hoping for an equally big finish in his first season with Las Vegas.
“Score a goal in a Las Vegas uniform, win a playoff game, and lastly, win a trophy,” he said.
In other words, game on!
