Dons Scored in Stoppage Time to Force 3-3 Tie with Fullerton College

Luis Venegas sends a shot in on a free kick in the Dons 3-3 tie with Fullerton College. Venegas scored all three goals for the Dons.
Luis Venegas sends a shot in on a free kick in the Dons 3-3 tie with Fullerton College. Venegas scored all three goals for the Dons.

SANTA ANA - The Dons needed a goal one minute into stoppage time to escape their match with Fullerton College with a 3-3 tie. The tie, which is the Dons second straight tie, moves their record to 12-3-3 overall and 7-1-3 in the Orange Empire Conference. It also drops them out of first place in the OEC after Orange Coast College jumped the Dons in the standings with a 1-0 win over Golden West College. The Dons travel to Orange Coast College on Friday with a chance to reclaim first place.

The Dons opened scoring against Fullerton (9-6-3, 4-4-3) in the 17th minute when Leonardo Contreras freed Luis Venegas with a pass into the box. Venegas then dribbled around two Hornets defenders and the goalkeeper to get a shot off, scoring the match's first goal.

But the Hornets would come back less than three minutes later with the equalizing goal which was scored by Jose Montes De Oca on a penalty kick. The Dons would then be awarded a penalty kick of their own in the 23rd minute, which Venegas scored on to put the Dons back on top, 2-1.

Fullerton would once again find the tying goal, this time in the 37th minute when Brian Jaquez controlled a ball in the box that the Dons defense failed to clear. Jaquez then made a quick pass to Andres Muniz, who scored from the front of the goal. The Hornets would score the go-ahead goal in the 85th minute when Manuel Juarez slipped a pass through the Dons defense to Montes De Oca who scored on the far post.

With the clock already at 90 minutes, Contreras sent a long pass over the top of Fullerton's defense to a streaking Venegas who buried a shot from the top of the box, tying the match at 3-3. Fullerton would manage a corner kick before the final whistle, but neither team generated another offensive chance, ending the game in a tie.