Published June 20. 2018 12:00AM
Down a man, trailing by a goal and over 22,000 fans celebrating at Nippert Stadium, Bethlehem Steel FC rallied to claim an important point on the road against Eastern Conference leaders, FC Cincinnati, 2-2.
Fabian Herbers leveled the affair that had the crowd stunned moments in the 69th minute, as the Philadelphia Union midfielder beat the keeper inside the far post to make it 2-2. The goal capped off a hectic three-goal sequence that saw Cincinnati equalize in the 66th minute and go-ahead two minutes later. Collecting a pass from 18-year-old rookie Michee Ngalina, Herbers beat his defender into the box and fired a left-footed shot that ended the game’s scoreline.
While Steel FC was forced to play the final 38 minutes down a man after Olivier Mbaizo was sent off, the young squad left it all on the pitch to push the club’s unbeaten run to three-consecutive matches including a pair of draws against the top two clubs in the USL’s Eastern Conference. Union veteran goalkeeper John McCarthy came up big between the sticks, making eight saves as Cincinnati fired 27 shot overall.