After a promising start to their second home game of the season, the El Camino College women’s soccer team tied 1-1 with the Norco College Mustangs.

The Wednesday, Sept. 3 match at the ECC Soccer Field took place one year to the day the Mustangs had to forfeit against the Warriors due to a lack of players.

The last time the teams faced off was in 2022, when the Warriors secured a 6-0 win.

Warriors coach Anton Arrache felt optimistic about his team’s chances following the 2-0 loss against the Santa Monica College Corsairs the previous Friday, Aug. 29.

“This is our third game, and we’re looking for our first win,” Arrache said. “I think that the team just needs confidence right now because when they get that first win, they’re going to burst out from there.”

He said that the team, with its mix of new and returning players, has been working towards building a stronger, more cohesive gameplay over the summer.

“We showed signs of improvement,“ he said.

Meanwhile, the Mustangs entered the match with a similar mindset.

“I’m just looking for us to come as a team united,” Norco coach Francesca Escobedo said. “We’ve had a rough start to our pre-season, but we’re looking to piece it all together.”

Three minutes into the match, Warriors forward Evie Campbell, with fellow forward Julia Camacho assisting, scored the first goal and her second of the season.

Warriors goalkeeper Jordan Stemberga made three saves during the first half, one of which caused her to fall backwards, the ball still cradled in her arms.

Meanwhile, Mustangs forward Jazmin Gonzalez attempted two shots before she was substituted for forward Dianne Ortega.

Four minutes later, with assistance from defender Kia Creta, Ortega scored Norco’s first goal.

The Warrior’s strategy coming into the second period was to go for the tie-breaker while Stemberga held off any shots attempted by the Mustangs.

Their efforts were met with considerable resistance by the Mustangs’ goalkeeper Salma Jimenez, who intercepted and saved two of the Warriors’ eight shots.

Warriors forward Citlalli Sarahi Sanchez attempted to help break the tie with two corner kicks made in the span of six minutes, forcing the two teams to move closer to the Mustangs’ net.

With two minutes left to go, the Mustangs received a yellow card, which gave Warriors’ defender Lily Fulton a penalty kick that was immediately caught by Jimenez.

The Warriors’ last chance to break the tie ended when a kick made by Sarahi Sanchez sent the ball flying over the net.

The game ended with a score of 1-1.

“It’s definitely hard coming off a negative streak,” Camacho said. “This was our chance for a turning point where we can start to move forward in our season. I guess it didn’t go exactly the way that we planned.”

The Warriors move to (0-2-1) and will get their chance to turn things around when they face off against the San Bernardino Valley Wolverines (2-2) away on Friday, Sept. 5 at 1 p.m.