Trailing by two goals in the waning moments of the match, Bethlehem Steel FC showed its ‘Never Say Die’ attitude once again as the club scored twice for a 2-2 draw against rival New York Red Bulls II.

New York jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals from their captain, Stefano Bonomo. After converting from the penalty spot in the first half, it seemed he had lifted Red Bulls II to its first road win of 2018 with a counterattack strike in the 84th minute.

After attempting just one shot in the first half, Steel FC came out a different squad in the final 45 minutes taking 11 shots and earning 8 corners. While Red Bulls II doubled its lead, Steel FC substitute Chris Nanco rallied the squad with a pair of big assists to earn an important point. Nanco trimmed the lead to one with a perfect service into the box that connected with an unmarked Matt Mahoney for the defender’s first professional goal.

Steel FC wasn’t done as Nanco once against scrapped together a final chance in added time. With seconds remaining, the Canadian chased down a poor clearance near the corner flag. Taking a quick touch to his right, he fired across the six-yard box that went through three defenders and to a wide-open run from James Chambers who tapped it in.

“What we talked about at halftime was that it was the worst performance we’ve put on in three years in this building and I’m extremely proud of the response in the second half,” Bethlehem Steel FC head coach Brendan Burke said. “We could have scored multiple goals that we didn’t get but we still got the two that mattered and got ourselves back into the game. Unfortunately, we got hit on the counter but we were pushing hard and sometimes that happens. Ultimately, we walk away understanding that if we start games the way we started and played the second half, we can be excellent in this league and not just relevant or just around the playoff line but that we can drive forward and hopefully that’s what we walk away with today.”