Persistence led the Moorpark College Raiders to a 3-0 triumph against Los Angeles Mission College in their official season opener on Thursday.

Freshman Lindsey McClellen had no fret with a head-on challenge against L.A Mission’s goalie, firing an unstoppable strike to open the game just minutes into the second half.

No more than 13 minutes after McClellen’s goal, Kaylee Finnan managed to get the ball past L.A Mission’s goalie, putting Moorpark at a 2-0 lead.

Hungry for another goal, McClellan startled L.A Mission’s defense and ripped a shot from left field scoring the third goal of the game.

The goalie for L.A. Mission worked relentlessly, serving as a final shield; however, Moorpark played a strong offensive game shooting over 20 shots on goal.

Coach Eric Privat commented upon the defensive and offensive plays of the game.

“We played against a defensive team,” he said. “They packed 10 players in front of the goal, but once we broke in, the game changed.”

After tearing down what seemed to be a forbidden gate, McClellan was content with the result.

“I was happy we finally scored because we got off to a rough start,” she said.

Moorpark moved forward again and again through the course of the game. Working with consistent accuracy, the team worked their way from the back of the field finding a way to remain victorious.

“The maturity [of play] became more obvious principally in the second half,” mentioned Privat upon the team’s development since Tuesday’s game against the California Stars Premiere Soccer Club.

Privat is confident that the team’s determination and maturity of play will bring success in next week’s game versus Long Beach City College at Moorpark on Sept. 1 at 2 p.m.