Struggling to break through the San Bernardino Valley College Wolverines‘ polished defensive presence on the field, the El Camino College Warriors were handed an end to their seven-game winning streak.

Ending with a final score of 0-2, the Sept. 26 match at the ECC Soccer Field resulted in the Warriors’ second loss this season.

This marks the first home loss of the season for the Warriors who were previously (4-0) while defending their home field.

Warriors coach Michael Jacobson said the Wolverines had the upper hand in the game.

“They showed a lot of intensity today, they superseded us and we didn’t deserve to win,” Jacobson said.

Jacobson said not enough quality during the game led to the loss.

“We were not finding as many advantages to increase our numbers. We had opportunities, but we weren’t able to finish them,” he said.

Near the end of the first half, Wolverines midfielder Christian Carrasco dribbled up to the midfield line and drove the ball over to his teammate, defender Abram Araujo, as he freely took the space on the left and shot the ball at the near post, marking a 1-0 lead.

Gallery • 10 Photos

El Camino College Warriors midfielder Joshua Zendejas drives the ball upfield in transition, while Warriors defender Enzo Canto (left) looks on, at the ECC Soccer Field on Friday, Sept. 26. The Warriors were shut out by the San Bernardino Valley College Wolverines, falling 2-0. (Ryan Hirabayashi | The Union)

Wolverines coach Josh Brown said the entire team played well, attributing the win to its organization on the field and the presence of sophomores.

“The whole team played as one. A bunch of our older guys stepped in big time,” Brown said.

The Wolverines’ roster includes six sophomores out of 33 players in total, compared to the Warriors’ eight sophomores out of 41.

The second half of the match showed a more even bout in terms of shots attempted, as the Warriors had one more shot recorded over the Wolverines. However, it would still not be enough.

Dribbling the ball all the way to just outside of the penalty area, Wolverines forward Jordan Guerrero crossed in the ball as it would go straight to his teammate, defender Emmanuel Hernandez, but the ball slipped out of his control.

Wolverines midfielder Sayed Khan managed to collect the ball on rebound, shooting it down toward the bottom left corner and increasing the Wolverines’ lead early into the second half.

Wolverines defender Benicio Verduzco credits the team’s communication during the game to the victory.

“We had good communication with each other. Our backline was in sync during the game, playing very strong today,” Verduzco said.

Last season, the previous matchup between these two teams resulted in a 2-0 victory for the Warriors, on the road Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.

Warriors defender Enzo Canto said the team’s loss to the Wolverines has become its biggest motivation in fueling a better performance for its next game.

“[The Wolverines] defended so well … [the midfield] limited our options,” Canto said.

Despite the loss, ECC (5-2-3) is not done yet as they look to bounce back and get more points on the board as they host the Antelope Valley College Marauders (2-6-1) on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 1:30 p.m.

Editor’s note:

• Captions were updated Sunday, Oct. 26