The Pierce college women’s soccer team defeated the El Camino Warriors in the first round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs on Nov. 20, with a score of 2-1.
The team was the only Pierce College team in the Fall 2024 season to end off on a winning record and head to playoffs, with a record of 13-5-2. With this record, they secured the 15th seed and were set to go against the 18th seed Warriors.
The Warriors were coming off the SCC Tournament, where they won third place after a game against Long Beach College in penalty kicks.
Assistant coach Joandra Ramirez expressed her thoughts on the El Camino women’s soccer team, and how the Brahmas competed against them.
“They play excellent soccer. They are a team that probably has played the best soccer all season,” Ramirez said. “We moved as a team, defended them as a team and just took away the shot they had in the middle. By doing that, we were able to close them out.”
The first half started off tame with both teams having no shots on goal. As the half was ending, a corner-kick by Isabel Morales resulted in an assist to Brenda Medina, scoring a header on overtime.
With the half ending in a 1-0 score in favor of Pierce, the game continued with another contribution from Medina. The midfielder shot a penalty, which resulted in a 2-0 lead within ten minutes in the half.
The Warriors showed persistence with a goal from freshman defender Sofia Hudson. Pierce seemed to be falling with captain forward Livia Pereria and starting goalkeeper Adriana Villacana both getting injured in a span of ten minutes. The injuries and the goal from Hudson weren’t enough for the Warriors, as the referee whistle concluded the game with the victory for Pierce.
The communication from the team is what helped the Brahmas push forward and secured the win, according to Medina.
“With the pressure we had, we performed good, we calmed down and we kept pushing each other,” Medina said. “We kept communicating on the field, and I feel like that just helped us move forward.”
This season for women’s soccer was one of the best ones they ever had, according to head coach Adolfo Perez.
“What a wonderful group of young ladies that we have,” Perez said. “This is honestly one of the best girls we have had ever, the camaraderie between the team is unbelievable.”
