Women's Soccer opened their 2025 ACCAC campaign with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against a disciplined Mesa Community College side on Saturday night.  The Pumas showed resilience and character, coming from behind twice in the match to secure the result.

"We fell behind early on an own goal, but we kept competing and didn't let up," said Head Coach Ernie Santa Cruz. "I was pleased with the end result against a well-coached team. Mesa is very organized on their set pieces, and their first goal came off a free kick."

Mesa opened the scoring in the 9th minute when Alexis Vogel found the back of the net following a dangerous service from Mia Abad. The Pumas responded shortly after halftime with a goal from Nevaeh Villegas, assisted by Karely Quinonez, to level the match at 1-1.

Just a minute later, Mesa regained the lead with a goal from Nicole Hipps. The Pumas remained determined and pressed late into the second half, earning the equalizer in the 85th minute when Mia Acuna scored off another assist from Quinonez.

Goalkeeper Sherlyn Solano was outstanding in net, recording 10 saves on the night to help preserve the draw.

"Overall, I was pleased with our performance," added Santa Cruz. "We'll look to build on this as we prepare for our next match."

The Pumas return to action on Tuesday, September 9, when they travel to take on Glendale Community College. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:15pm.