The GateWay Geckos men's soccer team earned a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Gillette College on Sunday evening in Mesa. Both teams traded goals in a lively first half, and the Geckos showed resilience in the second period to secure the tie.
The Geckos struck first in the 33rd minute when Oscar Jimenez buried a shot off a setup from Fernando Hernandez, sending the home crowd into celebration. Gillette quickly responded with two goals before halftime, however, Agner Torres and Josh Sosa each found the back of the net, both assisted by George Frost, to give the visiting Pronghorns a 2-1 lead at the break. GateWay regrouped in the second half and equalized in the 60th minute as sophomore Achilles Lopez finished with an incredible header on a cross from Joshua Carbajal to level the score at 2-2.
Goalkeepers Elias Hernandez and James Navarrete combined for seven saves to anchor the Gecko defense, while the back line held strong against an 18-shot Gillette attack. Despite the visitors holding the edge in shots and corners, GateWay matched their intensity and created timely scoring chances. With the result, the Geckos move to 0-1-1 on the season and will look to build on the momentum as they start conference play this Saturday at Glendale CC.
