RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UC Riverside used an 88th-minute equalizer to earn a dramatic 2-2 draw against Cal State Bakersfield on a sweltering Sunday afternoon at the UC Riverside Soccer Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Cassia Souza was at the right place at the right time in the eighth minute after a Roadrunner inswinger off a free kick set up a header destined for goal. 
• Samantha Ritchie was caught offside in the 27th minute, but UCR came back the other way and threatened following an unsuccessful Roadrunner possession only to turn it over in the attacking third. Shots on goal for both sides were scarce in the first half with three total - UCR's only attempt on frame came from Julianna Hernandez in the 23rd minute. 
• Cal State Bakersfield opened the scoring in the 53rd minute but Aaliyah Tu'ua provided an immediate response in the 54th, as UC Riverside generated a couple blocked shots before Tu'ua booted home her first goal of the season. The Roadrunners finished off a scramble on the goal line in the 57th minute to pull themselves back into the lead. 
• UC Riverside put the jets on offensively in the final 20 minutes, starting with Hernandez just missing the near post in the 71st after the Highlanders fed it directly through the middle of the attacking midfield. 
• Sarah Assumma saved her impact in her Highlander debut for when it mattered most, coming up with a goal line clearance just minutes later and then trying to bicycle in the equalizer with under four minutes to go in the match. Daphane Mendez let one go from well outside the 18 in the 86th minute, but just missed the far post. 
• Assumma's continued pressure on the ball turned into a well-deserved reward in the 88th, finding the equalizer on assists from Spenser Gonzales and Arianna Dominguez to give UCR its second consecutive draw in the head-to-head series. 

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

• Braelynn Llamoca surpassed 3,500 minutes for her Highlander career while both Jazmine and Daphane Mendez appeared in the same starting XI for just the sixth time while at UCR. 
• Assumma's debut consisted of just 33 minutes off the bench and a goal line clearance, but it was the transfer's late equalizer that inflicted a little déjà vu into the contest: not only Assumma become the second Highlander this year to score in her UCR debut after Sarah Mahfoud did so against California Baptist, but the Highlanders stole a point from Bakersfield for the second year in a row on an equalizer with less than 10 minutes remaining.  
• Dominguez recorded her first career assist on the late equalizer while Gonzales now has a goal involvement in four of her last five matches with two goals and three assists in that span. 

UP NEXT

• UC Riverside returns to action on Thursday, October 12 for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff against UC Davis on ESPN+. Tickets are available at highlanderstickets.universitytickets.com.