The lady Raiders hope that a tough schedule early on will lead to a more promising season down the road.

This team will go into their game against Santiago College on Sept. 9 with a record of 0-1-2. After a tie in the season opener, they visited Ventura College for the Nike Community College Showcase, which featured soccer powerhouses.

They first matched up against Rio Hondo College, the runner-up from last year’s state championship, and after a hard fought 90 minutes, the game ended 0-0. The first loss of the season came against Fresno College, a perineal powerhouse in the state, according to Coach Miguel Ruiz. Both games gave the lady Raiders a chance to measure themselves against some of strongest teams in California. Although Ruiz aspired for a faster start, he believes that his girls will embrace the challenges ahead and ultimately benefit from tougher competition.

“That’s what the preseason is for, to find the right combination of players and playing the schedule we set up for this year is definitely going to battle test us,” said Ruiz.

Ruiz pinpoints the early season struggles to offense and has high hopes for this team to start clicking. He chose to focus on their offensive game plan this week in practice and maybe that emphasis will do the trick.

The next two upcoming games will give the club another opportunity to prove themselves on the road as they face Santiago Canyon and Long Beach, both of which remain undefeated.

Ruiz views these matches as learning experiences and expects his team ready when league games begin.

“We are trying to learn something from each game and I think we are up for the challenge,” said Ruiz. “This year we are going to be ready for our conference.”