MERCED, CA - The Bakersfield College men's soccer team mounted a strong second-half comeback to earn a 2-2 draw against Merced in a hard-fought away match. After falling behind by two goals, the Renegades rallied with two goals of their own in the second half to salvage a point.

Merced opened the scoring in the 15th minute, giving the home team an early 1-0 lead. Merced doubled their advantage early in the second half in the 55th minute, putting Bakersfield in a tough position.

Despite being down 2-0, the Renegades didn't back down. They responded just five minutes later when a determined effort led to a goal from Anthony Gambe, assisted by Jesus Cortez and Victor Melendez, in the 58th minute, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Bakersfield kept pressing and was rewarded again in the 75th minute with a goal from Cortez, assisted by Christopher Gandara, leveling the match at 2-2.

BC's goalkeeper and defense held firm for the remainder of the match, preventing Merced from regaining the lead. Merced's goalkeeper, Andres Garcia, made key saves, but Bakersfield's resilience paid off.

With the draw, men's soccer moved to 3-3-2 on the season. Bakersfield will host La Harbor this Friday, September 27th, at 4:00 PM.