Columbia, MD - In one of the most exciting games of the year, the Howard Community College Dragons scored with seconds left to preserve a 3-3 tie against Anne Arundel Community College.
Trailing 3-2 with less than five seconds left, the Dragons got the goal of the year from
Truce Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills), who managed to sneak a shot past a tough Riverhawks defense to ensure a tie.
After honoring their 13 sophomore players prior to the game, the Dragons got off to a sluggish start. A defensive mistake led to an own goal, and a tough foul call in the box led to a penalty shot. Anne Arundel led 2-0 at the half, but the Dragons had managed to out-shoot the Riverhawks down the stretch.
Howard opened the second half swinging, as a barrage of shots hit AACC's goalie. Things got chippy on the pitch, with both teams committing fouls. One of those fouls drew a penalty kick for the Dragons, with
Darian Paz (Fredericksburg, VA/Stafford) easily scoring. Howard continued to attack fiercely; at one point,
Bryan Barrientos (Catonsville, MD/Catonsville) had three consecutive shots blocked in a matter of seconds. In the 57th minute, Ryerson sent a hail-mary goal kick down pitch that
Sam Santos (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) scooped up and beat the keeper with. Suddenly, it was 2-2.
Both teams continued to hammer away at each other, with both goalkeepers making spectacular save after spectacular save. Ryerson made arguably the save of the year when he tipped a sure-fire goal over the net with his fingertips. However, on the next AACC attack, the Riverhawks beat the keeper and scored to make it 3-2. Howard was running out of time with less than ten minutes to go.
The pivotal goal came with seconds left. After
Sebastian Fonseca (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) tossed the ball in,
Kevin Rubi (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) passed to the middle.
Sam Santos (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) tipped the ball towards the right post, where
Truce Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) slid in to net the game-tying goal with two seconds left on the clock. Norton was mobbed by his teammates as the Dragons celebrated one of the most incredible finishes in recent Dragon history.
Santos finished with six shots, four shots on goal, one goal, and one assist.
Darian Paz (Fredericksburg, VA/Stafford) had five shots, three shots on goal, and a penalty goal.
Rafa Benetiz (Hyattsville, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt) had four shots, three of which were on goal. Norton had two shots, including his pivotal goal.
Bryan Barrientos (Catonsville, MD/Catonsville) made three shots,with two on goal.
Mateo Moore (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) recorded three shots with two on goal, while
Kyle Simmons (Columbia, MD/Atholton) had three shots.
The Dragons next face Mercer County on Monday, October 7 at 5:00 PM.
