A shorthanded Cate boys soccer team held on to earn a 2-2 draw against Foothill Tech on a windy Tuesday in Ventura.
Ahead 2-0, the Rams lost forward Buba Fofanah when he was red-carded just minutes into the second half.
“We held strong for the next 20 minutes, but Foothill Tech took advantage of a long throw from the corner to halve the Cate lead,” said coach Pete Mack.
The Dragons evened the score on a penalty kick in the final minute of regulation.
Cate goalkeeper Devin Pai made an incredible diving save in the final minutes of overtime to preserve the tie.
Cate took a 1-0 lead midway through the first half on a penalty kick. Fofanah was taken down in the box and Daniel Boateng converted the PK.
Fofanah made it 2-0 when he split two defenders and beat the goalkeeper to the lower right corner.
Mack was pleased with how his team performed while playing a man down.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” he said. “We played the ‘right’ way and had control of the game and, when confronted with playing down a man, tightened up defensively.
“But it’s hard to withstand constant pressure from a team as skilled and organized as Foothill Tech. The fact that we preserved the tie in overtime is a testament to our grit. We took a big step forward as a team, which is going to pay big dividends when we return from the break.”
Cate is 3-0-1.