After a poor game offensively, the women’s soccer team pulled off a 1-1 tie in the 85th minute with a goal from sophomore midfielder Tonya Gonzalez against L.A. Harbor on Tuesday.

The tap in from Gonzalez in the last few minutes of the game helped EC avoid another loss to its record.

“This game was difficult,” Gonzalez said. “For now, we will practice hard today and tomorrow so we can be ready for Cerritos on Friday. We need to stay focused and not give up.”

L.A. Harbor scored in the 26th minute of the game to give them an early lead. Freshman defender Meghan Esposito was assisted with a pass from sophomore midfielder Katie Sullivan that led to a 1-0 lead over EC.

“We were weak in the first half, we allowed them to dominate,” Coach John Britton said. “The talk we had in halftime changed the game for us.”

In the 52nd minute of the game, the Warriors lost a key player due to an injury. One out of the three co-team captains, sophomore defender Ashley Mercado, stepped wrong on the turf and hurt her knee. She did not play for the remainder of the game and now awaits an MRI.

“In this game I made a mistake in the back court that led to a goal from L.A. Harbor,” Mercado said. “Getting injured is frustrating because I won’t be playing this Friday against Cerritos. I will just cheer on my team mates from the sidelines.”

“Our bench players have to step up,” Britton said. “Ashley is a key player in our defense.”

The Warriors (2-1-2) will host Cerritos on Friday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m.