Warriors Earn Gutsy Draw against Orange Coast

TORRANCE, Calif. – El Camino College remained unbeaten early on in the 2017 season but it did not come easy in a 1-1 result against Orange Coast College Tuesday afternoon at Murdock Stadium.

The Warriors (1-0-1) played down a man for the final 50 minutes of the match against the Pirates (0-0-2) after defender Stephen Vincent took down a Pirates attacker to deny a breakaway to the visitors.

Despite the disadvantage, the Warriors continued to attack, outshooting the Pirates 11-5 in the second half while both teams managed two shots on target in the final 45 minutes.

The Warriors got on the board first as Reyes Jaimes notched his second goal in as many games to start the season. Jason Santana set up the goal as he charged along the near side and then fired a low cross from the right edge of the 18-yard box to the left edge of the eight-yard box where Jaimes was waiting. He would deposit the perfect feed into the back of the net with a diving header to put the Warriors ahead 1-0.

Things stayed that way until the 27th minute when Nicholas Cardenas netted his second goal of the season, beating Warriors goalkeeper Cesar Amezcua to the far post to notch the score at one apiece.

Amezcua was solid in net once again for the Warriors as he made six saves on the afternoon while playing all 90 minutes.

Both teams had their chances to break the tie in the second half. The Warriors best chance came in the 80th minute as ECC was awarded a penalty kick after a takedown inside the box. Everardo Cadenias drew the assignment on the spot but his shot was knocked away by Pirates keeper Jack Tunstall and the Warriors could not jump on the rebound as the ball came out of bounds on the near side.

For the Pirates, their best chance came with time winding down in the match as Vitor Gameiro diced through the Warriors defense on the far side and got a chance one-on-one against Amezcua. He got the shot past the Warriors keeper but shanked it far to the right and the Warriors were able to clear the danger.

The Warriors will now hit the road for the first time this season as they head to Santa Monica College on Friday afternoon for a date with the Corsairs. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.