After a tough game against Mount San Antonio College Oct. 7, where the Rio Hondo women’s soccer team won away from home 3-2, the Lady Roadrunners came back home for two games against Chaffey College Oct. 11 and El Camino College Compton Center Oct 14.

Rounding off their first set of South Coast Conference matches was Chaffey, who like Rio Hondo, had not lost a game and had their winning streak snapped at 10 by division foe Mt. SAC days prior to give them their first tie and a crucial one in the division.

Chaffey showed why they were undefeated for so long, putting up a defensive battle with Rio Hondo for the entire first half and giving each other their best shot offensively.

The second half was no different, as neither team let up until the 74th minute when Daisy Gallegos set up Erika Lizarraga for a goal after a scramble in the box gave them a 1-0 lead.

Chaffey struck back minutes later when Raelene Diaz scored at the 80th minute nearly in the exact way Rio had scored minutes earlier and were able to tie the game 1-1.

The game ended in a draw and both teams now share first place in the South Coast Conference with a record of 2-0-2. Rio Hondo will meet Chaffey College again Nov. 11 in their final game of the season and could possibly determine the winner of the conference.

After the game, head coach Jennifer Tanaka said she felt the efforts were “solid” by her team.

“Making game winning decisions and making sure we put our best effort forward throughout the duration of the game are great lessons we can take away from this game.”

The Lady Roadrunners decisions and lessons from the previous game were definitely put to use for their next game against ECC Compton and was their first of five non-conference games scheduled during their break of conference matches.

Rio took control from the start and managed to put up three goals by halftime and did not stop there, putting in another seven goals by the time the game had ended.

This game only justified the strength that the Lady Roadrunners have on offense and on defense.

Tanaka said after the dominant win that the team’s goal is to “get better every time [they] step on the field” so they can continue to push themselves to compete at their best.

“Looking to become more consistent in [their] performance each game as the season progresses” is what Coach Tanaka strives for from her team.

The women’s soccer team improved their record to 7-0-4 with the tie and a win and will be away for their next game when they face El Camino College Oct. 18 and come back home Oct. 21 to face Long Beach City College.