Scorching temperatures and high winds prevailed as Moorpark College (1-5-1) faded late in the match against third place Mission College (4-1-2) in a Western State Conference game in a 3-1 loss at the Raiders Pitch early Friday afternoon.

Scoreless at halftime, the Raiders kept pace with the Eagles in the opening stages of the second half. Mission’s Steve Rodriguez scored from close range on a defensive lapse in the 48th minute. Moorpark then answered with an equalizer less than two minutes later.

From a free kick just outside Mission’s penalty area, forward Hector Chavez aimed an accurate shot that beat goalkeeper Estevan Chavez to tie the score, 1-1, in the 50th minute.

“The keeper didn’t react fast enough,” Chavez said. “He was off his line and gave me an open shot. I caught him looking and I shot it right away and it went in.”

Due to the extreme conditions, the officials invoked a new rule, whereby a two minute water break was granted halfway between each period. As the game wore on, the heat and humidity took its toll on the field and the liberal use of substitutes on both sides became the norm.

“It was kind of hot and difficult playing, especially because we had a game yesterday,” Pedro Curiel Garcia said. “We fought well, but they got some [lucky] breakaways at the end that gave them the win.”

Fatigued from playing its second game in as many days, the Raiders had no answer when Carlos Solorio restored the Eagles’ lead 2-1 from a close range tap-in in the 71st minute.

Goalkeeper Allan Montalvo’s quickness and safe hands kept a clean sheet in the first half and was highlighted by a sliding stop in the 14th minute in front of goal.

“We were able to hold them off for the first 60 minutes,” midfielder Nicholas Hughes said. “We played good defense in the first half to keep it a close game almost until the very end.”

Although goalkeeper Daniel Moreno, who replaced Montalvo, was beaten by a low hard shot into the right-hand corner by Giovanni Rafael Perez in the 82nd minute, he made several key saves. Stopping a bullet at pointblank range towards the end of his brief appearance.

“He’s so tall and big [and] he was able to block several shots on goal,” Hughes said of Moreno. “A powerful shot on goal and he still blocks it. We’re getting better defense to stay in the game longer.”

In Thursday’s makeup game at College of the Canyons, Moorpark fell behind in the fifth minute and was down 3-0 by halftime. The Cougars won the game 4-0. The Raiders have now lost two games in a row and are tied with Allan Hancock College in eighth place in the WSC.

Moorpark hosts sixth place Santa Barbara City College (2-2-3) at the Raiders Pitch on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 2 p.m.