David Willauer -San Marcos, CA The Palomar College women’s soccer team opened its 2026 season on the road with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against LA Pierce College on Friday night at Shepard Stadium.
LA Pierce struck first in the 19th minute when Angelinne Mazariegos found the back of the net unassisted, giving the home side a 1-0 lead heading into the break.
Palomar didn’t find an answer until late, but it was worth the wait. In the 83rd minute, Katelyn Melton buried an unassisted goal to level the score and secure the road point for the Comets.
The match was tightly contested from start to finish. Both teams finished with seven total shots, though LA Pierce held the edge in shots on goal, 5-3. Palomar was the more active team at set pieces, winning the corner kick battle 5-4, and controlled the fouls column as well, committing just three to LA Pierce’s one.
In goal, Palomar split time between two keepers. Minha Moser started and played the first half, making one save on two shots faced. Emma Arce took over in net for the second half and turned in a clean 45 minutes, stopping the only shot she saw on frame while Palomar pushed for the equalizer.
LA Pierce also used two goalkeepers, with Chloe Der Avanessia and Angie Cardona splitting the shutout duties in a combined effort that included four saves on five shots on goal.
With the draw, Palomar opens the season at 0-0-1.
The Comets return home to host Cypress College with a 6 p.m. kickoff on Tuesday.
