The University of Redlands men’s soccer team forced No. 7-ranked UC Santa Cruz to a 3-3 stalemate on Saturday in Santa Cruz.

Senior midfielder Jeff Willey (Medina, WA) struck first in the second minute after senior forward Nick Gundersen (Park City, UT) threaded him a pass. Less than a minute later, the Banana Slugs’ C.J. Villalobos netted the equalizer, putting the score at one apiece.

Frenando Otero buried the go-ahead goal at 9:31, but Gundersen found the feet of junior midfielder John Brookover (Boise, ID) just 20 seconds later to knot the score at two. Freshman forward Alex Laughton (Pleasanton, CA) gave the Bulldogs the halftime lead as he scored at the 23-minute mark. Gundersen, who also assisted on Laughton’s goal, was the first Bulldog to tally three assists in a game since Bryan Fakkema facilitated three scores against Principia College (IL) on Sept. 4, 2008.

Matt Fondy tied the match at three in the 56th minute, which would serve as the final tally after two overtime periods.

Senior goalkeeper Evan Hobson (San Diego, CA) recorded nine saves on 12 shots on goal, anchoring the Bulldog defense.

Redlands (1-1-1) faces off against Linfield College (OR) on Sunday at 11 a.m. in Santa Cruz.