Warriors Advance to Second Round on Penalty Kicks

OCEANSIDE, Calif. --- For the second straight season, the El Camino College women's soccer team advanced to the second round of the California Community College Athletics Association Southern California Regional Playoffs in a penalty kick shootout, besting No. 12 MiraCosta on Wednesday afternoon.

The Warriors actually lead for the majority of the way against the Spartans but a late surge by the hosts forced overtime and eventually a shootout.

Jayd Lupoli-Sweet got the Warriors on the board early with a goal in the 11th minute off a free kick from 27 yards out, beating the Spartans keeper to the left side for a 1-0 ECC lead.

In the 76th minute, the Warriors' leading scorer made it a 2-0 advantage with a shot from 30 yards away that went over the keeper and into the net and the Warriors looked poised to advance with just 14 minutes left in regulation.

But the Spartans surged and erased that lead with two goals in the final 10 minutes to force overtime.

Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the two extra periods and it was time for a shootout.

Last season, the Warriors bested Santa Monica on the road in a shootout to advance and they'd have to do the same on Wednesday.

The shootout would last eight rounds with each team missing once in the first five tries. Alexis Perez-Fonseca and Ariana Ramirez each scored clutch goals as the Warriors were shooting last during penalty kicks.

Karlee Clark made a great save in the eighth round, leaving Lupoli-Sweet to attempt to bookend the day with the final shot of the day. The freshman would find the back of the net and the Warriors advance, 7-6, on penalty kicks.

The Warriors will now head to No. 5 Long Beach on Saturday night at 7 p.m. for the second round of the CCCAA SoCal Regionals.