A heartbreaking late goal separated what was a close match between Pierce College’s women’s soccer team and Cypress College as they lost 2-1 in the first round of Regionals on Nov.17 at the Pit.The result was tough on the Brahmas as the match was fairly even with both sides sharing possession and vying for a winning goal all the way until the final whistle.In front of their biggest crowd of the season, Pierce started the match in the best possible way by grabbing an early goal in the third minute.Pierce midfielder Patricia Garcia threw the ball into the box from the left and found teammate Mia Swafford who headed it in from close range to make it 1-0.Throughout the rest of the first half both teams vied for possession and control of the game, each team playing physically.Pierce went into the break with a 1-0 lead thanks to Mia Swafford.The second half started with another early goal, but this time it was Cypress who scored and got the equalizer.In the 47th minute, a corner kick was taken and half cleared. It fell to Cypress forward Natalie Farah and from six yards out, slotted it under the keeper to make it 1-1.Pierce fought hard to try and regain the lead and in the 53rd minute, they retook the lead. A blocked free kick lead to a one-on-one situation but the Cypress keeper saved well. Pierce began to take control of the game, keeping possession well while Cypress played on the counter-attack. Although the Brahmas controlled possession, they weren’t able to muster any clear goal scoring opportunities; most of their efforts were limited to long range shots. The match continued this way up to the 89th minute when Cypress would get their chance to take the lead. Cypress cleared their lines with a long ball; Natalie Farah and Pierce defender Allison Fass both chased after the ball with Pierce goalkeeper Natasha Jackson coming out of her box to deal with the danger. Pressure from Farah forced an error from Jackson prompting her to handle the ball outside the penalty box. Jackson was shown a yellow card and Cypress given a free kick in a dangerous position. The resulting free kick was taken from 19 yards out and powered in past the goalkeeper. It was heartbreak for Pierce as they had controlled the second half for the most part and now found themselves going down and out with only minutes left to salvage anything.In the dying minutes Pierce earned themselves one final chance to get themselves on level terms. They pushed everyone up into the penalty area as Pierce defender Heather Painter floated in the free kick, Cypress cleared their lines and finally, the full time whistle which ended Pierce’s playoff run.Pierce head coach Perez gave his thoughts after the match saying that he found the result to be “disappointing, we lost to an incredible team,” he said. “They were too physical for us.””I was happy that they were winning 1-0, we were going up hill,” he said. “They scored two goals, we broke down for 30 seconds and it cost us the game, not just the game, the season, everything.”Cypress head coach was happy about the result but also aware of the efforts of both teams. “We knew it was a very tough game,” said Van Herk. “Our team has a lot of confidence and really showed character.” Still she had some praise for the defeated opponents saying “Pierce had a great game,” she said. “Both teams battled.” After the match, the Pierce players were down about the result but knew that they played as best they could. “We played hard,” said Lindsey Liggera. “We made a few mistakes that decided the game.” As for next season, Liggera believes that next year’s team still looks good to compete at the highest level. “The majority of people will stay,” she said. “They’ll be just as good.”