Taft College's slim hopes at a Central Valley Conference championship are still alive despite earning a 1-1 draw at Clovis Community College on Friday.
The Cougars moved to 3-1-2 in the CVC with two games left to play. Both Taft and Clovis (3-1-3 with one game left) are chasing conference-leading Fresno City College at 4-1-1 with two games remaining. The Cougars host FCC on Tuesday in a game that will likely decide the conference title. With a 6-8-4 overall record, Taft will need to come away with the conference championship and a shot at the postseason.
Taft jumped out to an early lead in Friday's contest, getting a goal off a free kick by sophomore Johan Rodriguez from just outside the box in the fifth minute.
The physical battle remained 1-0 at halftime and all the way until the 70th minute when the Clovis got the equalizer. After a hard foul by a Taft defender inside the box, Clovis' Jordon Wilkins scored a penalty-kick goal to draw the Crush even and secure the tie.
Following Tuesday's showdown with Fresno, Taft closes the regular season on Friday (Nov. 15) at West Hills College Lemoore. Both games are scheduled for 3 p.m. kickoffs.