RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Despite going down twice in the match, the University of La Verne men's soccer team rallied to earn a 2-2 draw against NCAA Division II Cal Baptist on Thursday afternoon in Riverside.

Dual-sport athlete Nick Gonsalves netted his first collegiate goal in the first half and Saul Uribe continued his torrid pace to start the season, scoring the game-tying goal—his third goal in three matches to start the season.

How it happened: The Lancers drew the first blood. In the 23^rd minute, Cal Baptist's Dominic Escalera put in a good cross to the top of the six-yard box and Aidan Apodaca finished it off with a header to the far post. But Gonsalves had an answer almost immediately. After a scramble in the box, the junior found himself in a 1-on-1 situation with Cal Baptist goalkeeper Noah Oyler and calmly slotted one in to tie the game at 1-1.

The Lancers took back the lead just before the halftime when Cheyne Davis put one past La Verne goalkeeper Darrin Bangle after a hapless attempt by the La Verne back line to dribble the ball out of the back.

Cal Baptist seemed to assume the control of the game in the second half, but Uribe came through with the equalizer in the 69^th minute when he made a nice run to the far post and converted a nice feed from Justin Almandinger.

Missed chances: Both teams had chances to win the game late. Nathan Gonzalez hit the cross bar in the 100th minute and the Lancers had a free look at the net in overtime, but La Verne defenders were able to clear it out just before it crossed the goal line.

Player of the game: Despite not playing soccer his first two years at La Verne, the school's 100-meter record holder Gonsalves has taken to his new role on the field like a duck to water under new head coach Trevor Persson. As the first forward off the bench, he has been able to utilize top class speed to cause trouble for the opposing defenses and create chances for himself. The junior finally came through today to open his goals account and recorded five total shots, three of them on target.

From head coach Trevor Persson:

On earning a draw against a Division II opponent: "It was a good, hard fought match against a very smart, athletic and well coached team. We gave up both goals on silly mistakes but responded quickly by scoring right after. We were down twice but were able to pull it together, reorganize and tie the game. Both teams had quality chances to win the game in OT. I'm excited about the result and so are the guys."

On Saul Uribe: "Saul has been great. He makes great runs, gets himself into good positions and so far, has been able to find the net. Three goals in three games is a pretty good start."

On how the game prepares the team for SCIAC: "Playing a strong Division II team like Cal Baptist was a great way to see how ready we really are for conference play which starts next week."

What it means: After earning a draw against what looked to be superior talent on paper, the Leopards' (2-0-1) confidence is soaring as it heads into conference play next week.

Up next: La Verne will play one more non-conference tune-up match at St. Katherine on Monday, Sept. 8 before it begins SCIAC play.