WHITTIER – Freshman Ariel Solano's goal just moments before the final whistle turned a likely Rio Hondo College loss into a crucial 1-1 South Coast Conference North Division tie with visiting Mt. San Antonio College on Friday.
The draw keeps the Roadrunners on top of the North Division standings with 16 points and a 5-2-1 record. Mt. SAC is just a point behind at 4-1-3 (15 pts.) with one SCC match to play for both squads.
The two conference rivals battled in a scoreless first half and it remained that way until the 64th minute. The Mounties' Abel Salazar scored unassisted to give Mt. SAC the 1-0 lead.
Despite outshooting Mt. SAC by a 11-5 margin, Rio Hondo had nothing to show until Solano scored off the assist Emilio Ramirez in the 90th minute to set off a wild celebration.
Bryan Cote posted 2 saves in goal over 80 minutes of play for Rio Hondo.
The Roadrunners, now 8-7-3 overall, close out the regular season on Tuesday (Oct. 31) at 2 p.m. when they travel to Cerritos College for a SCC interdivision game.