City Settles for 3-3 Draw Against Palomar

It seemed as though the Knights were headed towards a victory when Kiki Josephson's 73rd minute goal put them up, 3-1, but Palomar responded with two quick goals and City had to settle for a draw in a game they needed to win.

With this draw, the Knights currently sit in third place in the PCAC with a 6-3-2 record (7-3-2 overall). They are fighting for a playoff spot so they will need to finish strong during this last week of games to make the postseason. 

The game started out terribly for the Knights with Palomar taking an early 1-0 lead on Lindsay Kramer's goal in the 14th minute. San Diego City dominated possession the rest of the half and finally got the equalizer in the 45th minute when Cielo Lopez booted in a loose ball in front of the net, her first of the season. 

The Knights continued to push forward in the second half as the looked for the go-ahead goal and they got it in the 71st minute. Josephson set up Fatima Valle with a pass to the middle of the 18-yard box and Valle put it over the Palomar goalkeeper's reach. 

Two minutes later, midfielder Anais Thompson sent a long ball from the left side of the field to the right where Josephson was streaking. Josephson settled the ball and hit the back of the net to give the Knights a 3-1 lead. 

City appeared to get their insurance goal, but it wasn't enough on this day. Palomar hit back with two long range goals from Layla Moore (77th) and Itzel Villalobosless (77th) than a minute apart. 

The Knights, who outshot Palomar 20-9, kept searching for the game winner in the final minutes. They created several scoring opportunities, but all four shots they took in the closing minutes were off the mark as they had to settle for the tie. 

The Knights will play their final PCAC home game on Friday at 3 p.m. against Miramar. They will then close the regular season with road games at Grossmont on Nov. 8 and at Imperial Valley on Nov. 12.