Following a 20-minute delay caused by the lights going out at Woodward Park, East Union broke open a tie game in the second half with two goals to defeat visiting Lathrop, 3-1.

The Lancers (1-0) pocketed the season-opening win with the lion’s share of their roster on the bench, as they are wrapping up their club season this weekend and will be eligible next week.

“We were missing nine returning players,” East Union coach Jason Silva said. “And that is huge. We

“We definitely moved the ball around, and I am happy with the intensity of the game and the way we played. A lot of girls stepped up and showed that they could play at the varsity level. With the first non-league game, you never know what to expect, and it is nice to get that first win out of the way.”

One of those Lancers girls who showed she could play at the varsity level was Emily Pires. A freshman, Pires gave East Union a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute when she lofted a pass from Alexa Bretao just under the crossbar. In the 75th minute, she added an unassisted insurance goal from the wing for the 3-1 lead.

“It was definitely nerve-wracking in the beginning,” Pires said. “My teammates were very encouraging, and even if I made a mistake I was reassured and I knew I would get the next one.”

Following the blackout, Bretao ricocheted a blast off the opposite post to give the Lancers the lead again at 2-1 in the 55th minute.

In the 49th minute – one-minute before the field went dark – Jenavive Otero found the net on an assist from Allana Lewis for the Spartans (0-1) to tie the game.

“My coaches have been telling me that I needed to drop back toward the middle when we were crossing the ball,” Otero said. “And once I finally did it, I got the opportunity, and I knew I was going to knock it in.”

After the delay, the wind seemed to have been taken out of Lathrop’s sails.

“We were in the game,” Spartans coach Diana Nevarez said. “And then the lights went out, and so did our momentum.

“We have a young group of girls, and they are learning a new formation – the 4-3-3 – they are used to the 4-4-2. We are getting used to that, and it is going to be a good year. We are excited.”

The Lancers fired off 29 shots, with 13 on goal. East Union goalie Makenna Miller posted five saves. Lathrop took 10 shots with six on frame and Spartans goalie Destiny Vega made 10 saves.

East Union travels to Ripon on Monday night at 6 and on Tuesday at 6 p.m. the Spartans travel to Tracy to face Kimball.