The LBCC Women’s Soccer team defeated the El Camino Warriors 2-1 in the first round of the CCCAA SoCal Regionals in a hard-fought match by both sides.
Freshman forward Genesis Lopez wasted no time dribbling through the defense and around the keeper, slotting the ball into the open net within the first minute.
Starting fast is something that the Vikings have done all year which set the tone for the entire match.
Not only did they apply pressure on offense, but they also applied it on defense with their classic press. This led to El Camino’s opportunities coming few and far between.
When El Camino did get opportunities, they were not able to find the back of the net, but they were able to get close as they got into the box a few times with momentum.
As for the Vikings, Freshman forward Evelyn Sandoval and Lopez were causing problems down the wings as they do, but they were not able to convert.
El Camino suddenly became more aggressive in the second half as they realized that they had the Vikings in a position that they were not too familiar with, only being up one at half time.
“They came back and fought, fought, fought and they controlled a chunk of that game,” said Vikings Head Coach Eduardo Nunes about the Warriors.
The momentum shifted in the second half with the Warriors controlling most of the possession, which is again unfamiliar territory for the Vikings to have to sit back and defend.
They did a good job protecting the 1-0 lead and were able to capitalize on the few opportunities that they had when freshman midfielder Melani Guerrero collected the rebound off of a corner and tapped it in.
This was seen as the dagger until Warrior’s sophomore midfielder Angelica Taylor broke through the middle of the Vikings’ defense and slotted the ball in the back of the net to put them within one.
El Camino was not able to score the game-tying goal and the Vikings advanced to round 2 of the tournament.
The Vikings played again against Mt. Sac on Nov. 22, which is a team they have struggled against this season.