Defenseman Carlos Ordaz, normally a stout presence in the backfield, salvaged a point for the Laredo Heat Thursday night at the Texas A&M Soccer Complex.
Ordaz received a perfectly timed pass from Joel Perez off a free kick, as he entered the area and wrapped the ball in the netting in the 90th minute to tie the contest 2-2, the eventual score.
Ordaz spoiled a beautiful play for a goal by the Bravos’ Salvador Luna. Luna’s 13th goal of the season was a waltz that started off an inbound pass from the left side of the field.
He faked and dribbled past several Heat defenders before sliding in the area to best the Heat’s Ryan Cooper in the 69th minute.
The Heat’s Josh Maley had the game’s final opportunity to give his team the win in compensation time.
Much to his dismay, however, he whiffed on a pass facing an empty net.
The tie comes as a bittersweet pill to swallow for Laredo. The Heat (6-1-8, 26 points) had a chance to practically cement its postseason classification with a win.
The Heat is no longer the frontrunners for the Mid-South Division title and must now win its final contest against the West Texas Sockers on July 17.
The Bravos (5-4-5, 20) still have an outside shot of making the playoffs, if they win their final two gamse of the season.
The Heat and Bravos both had opportunities to add to the score.
The Heat sorely missed the presence of captain and midfielder Daniel Galvan, and midfielder Greg Mulamba.
The Heat trailed early, after a well-placed shot from the Bravos’ Kendor Vasquez in the sixth minute lifted his team to a 1-0 lead.
The momentum then swung in the Heat’s favor when the Bravos’ Enrique Quintero was awarded his second yellow card of the game in the 25th minute.
The man advantage allowed the Heat to equalize the game in the 36th minute when Dionisio “Nicho” Infante knocked in his fourth goal of the contest from point-blank range.
The goal came about after a corner by Juan de Dios Ibarra to the far post was redirected to Infante.
The Heat’s Esteban Bayona, its leading goal scorer, was forced into action in the 20th minute after Luis Reyes was injured.
Bayona wasn’t 100 percent, coming off an injured ankle, and it showed as the striker couldn’t knock in a relative easy opportunity in the 38th minute on a Raul Quiñones set-up.
Four minutes later, Bayona found himself on a one-on-one against the Bravos’ goalie Juan Garcia, but Bayona put too much force on his last touch that forced him to take an off-angled shot that bounced off the side netting.
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