Highlanders strike late to draw Foothills FC

Victoria heads to Washington this weekend

The Victoria Highlanders dug deep for a gutsy 2-2 draw Sunday in Calgary against the USL PDL Northwest Division-leading Foothills FC.

The Highlanders were down to 10 men — with Victoria’s firstgoal scorer Ryan Dhillon red carded at 41 minutes — and trailing 2-1 with time slipping away. That’s the time for experienced hands at the helm. And so it was as veterans Blair Sturrock, a former Plymouth Argyle and Swindon Town pro, and Riley O’Neill combined for the equalizer at 86 minutes with Victoria desperately pushing forward.

O’Neill, the former NCAA Kentucky Wildcats star and Canada U-20 FIFA World Cup midfielder who played pro in the Finnish Premiership and German second division, won a high jump ball with a header. O’Neill directed the header to the feet of Sturrock, who in turn directed it into the goal.

“This was a real battle and a character builder,” said Highlanders head coach Dave Dew. “It shows we can come back under adversity.”

The score was 1-1 at the half, with Dhillon and Calgary trading goals, before Mitch Bauche made it 2-1 for Foothills FC with a shot that made it inside the near post at 48 minutes.

The Highlanders (2-2-3) had lost both their previous games against Calgary (4-1-1) this season.

The Highlanders are in Redmond to play the Washington Crossfire on Friday and in Seattle to take on MLS-affiliate Sounders U-23 on Sunday.