The Brahmas brought home another win Friday night in their game against West Los Angeles College with a final score of 4-0 as they advance to the playoffs for the 17th straight year in program history.
The team finished second in the Western State-South conference behind Santa Monica City College with a 5-2 conference record.
For the first half, the Brahmas held down their defensive line, not allowing West LA to score a single goal. At halftime, the game was goalless.
During halftime, head coach Adolfo Perez gave the team a pep talk to encourage them to come out stronger in the second half.
“I wanted to remind them of how good they can be and to seize the moment and enjoy it,” Perez said.
The pep talk worked and the team came back stronger for the last 45 minutes. They possessed a certain drive and wanted to win the game.
Forward Gisell Cruz wasted no time and scored the first goal for the Brahmas, breaking through West LA’s defensive line. In the game against LA Valley College, she scored twice giving the team a 2-1 win.
Midfielder Ashley Oviedo scored a brace in the game, giving them a 3-0 lead against the Wildcats.
“We were motivated in the first half, but in the second half, we wanted it even more. I really wanted to score for my team and get us up there. It was an amazing feeling,” Oviedo said.
Oviedo said the Brahmas had to connect and play smarter than their opponents. Breaking down their defensive line one by one was truly the key, Oviedo said.
Midfielder Esmeralda Guzman got on the scoresheet with the fourth and final goal for the Brahmas.
Irene Reyes said the Brahmas played smarter and stronger as a cohesive unit.
“We played much better than we did in our last game. We put in more effort and were able to stay organized, which is really important,” Reyes said.
Reyes said that the team not only played more unified, but they also played stronger, both physically and mentally.
She also said that once the coaches pointed it out, the team was able to easily break down West LA’s defense and score goals throughout the second half.
The team have a home playoff game against Grossmont College on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m.