The Pierce College Lady Brahmas soccer team opened its conference play with a 1-1 tie on the road against Santa Barbara City College last Friday night.
Going into the game, Pierce’s athletic director Bob Lofrano was confident in the progress the newly formed team was making even with SBCC being one of the top ranked squads in the conference.
“We might have our hands full,” Lofrano said. “It should be interesting.”
This is nearly an entirely new team for Pierce, except for three returning players, so it has taken some time for the girls to get used to playing together, according to Lofrano.
Pierce opened the game scoring in minute 38 of the first half with a goal by freshman forward Michelle Somers assisted by freshman midfielder Jessica Castillejo.
Pierce maintained the lead into the second half when SBCC tied the contest with an unassisted goal at the 78 minute mark by forward Briana Lopez.
“It was a bit tough at the beginning,” Head Coach Adolfo Perez said. “The girls are starting to work much better together.”
Assistant coach Diaz felt that Somers and Shawnie Moore, freshman midfielder, showed great effort throughout the game and were a few of the shining stars on the field that night.
“It was a great first half,” Assistant Coach William Diaz said. “We definitely battled it out.”
The Brahmas are hoping to duplicate the strong season they had in 2012 when they posted a record of 12-5-4 advancing them to the Southern California Regional Playoffs for the 12th consecutive year earning the #8 seed.