Those pesky Warriors from Orestimba were at it again.

Ripon held a four-goal lead by the 63-minute mark, but Orestimba came roaring back until surrendering a 5-4 defeat. The victory guarantees Ripon (7-2-2 Trans-Valley League, 9-4-2 overall) a Sac-Joaquin Section playoff berth.

Orestimba (4-6-1, 6-10-1), led by Mayela Lopez’s two goals, have been a thorn on the side of TVL contenders all season. The Warriors shocked Ripon by taking an early 2-0 lead before ultimately losing 5-2 in their previous meeting. In their last two matches, they tied second-place Escalon 2-2 and kept pace with first-place Hilmar in a 6-4 setback.

“We were real cautious going into this game and knew not to take that team lightly,” Ripon assistant coach Bryce Perkins said. “They have some pretty good players.”

Brianna Mortimer spearheaded the Indians with three goals, while Tia Sidtikun supplied three assists. Brooklyn Joachim and Jordyn Wall contributed a goal each. Ripon rallied to score four unanswered goals to take a 5-1 lead at around the midway point of the second half.

Ripon ends the regular season at Hilmar next Wednesday. A win for Ripon would make Escalon outright champion.