Ryan Hollingshead Scores Latest Regular-Season Goal in LAFC History to Rescue 2-2 Draw at San Diego

Deep into stoppage time at Snapdragon Stadium, David Martínez swung in a corner. Mathieu Choinière's header was blocked, the ball dropped in a crowded six-yard box, and in the 14th minute of added time Ryan Hollingshead jabbed it in with his left foot. According to LAFC, it was the latest regular-season goal in club history, and it tied for the third-latest stoppage-time goal in league history.

It also completed a comeback from two goals down. LAFC and San Diego FC drew 2-2 on Saturday night in front of 28,459 fans, after Marcus Ingvartsen had scored twice for the hosts and Denis Bouanga pulled one back in the 82nd minute. San Diego coach Mikey Varas summed up how it felt from the home dressing room.

"It feels like a loss because of how it unfolds at the end of the game, but it's not a loss. It's one point," he said.

San Diego Strikes Early

LAFC came in with one eye on Mexico. Marc Dos Santos made nine changes from the midweek Concacaf Champions Cup win over Toluca, the club said, starting young players Nathan Ordaz, Jude Terry and Kenny Nielsen alongside a veteran group that included Hugo Lloris in goal.

San Diego punished the rotation quickly. Lloris saved a David Vazquez shot from point-blank range in the third minute, and from a corner in the seventh, Anders Dreyer found Ingvartsen near the post for a header into the bottom left corner. LAFC said the ball took a deflection off Eddie Segura on the way in. Ingvartsen described it as a rehearsed play.

"I think it was a perfect ball, perfect execution in the box, blocking for each other. I was completely free getting in there," he said.

The rest of the half leaned San Diego's way. Ingvartsen, Onni Valakari and Dreyer all fired off target, while LAFC's best moment was a Stephen Eustáquio effort after a set piece that narrowly missed the top right corner in the 13th minute.

The Second Half Gets Wild

Dos Santos sent on Mark Delgado and Martínez at halftime and Son Heung-Min on the hour, and the plan looked like it was going nowhere when San Diego doubled the lead in the 71st minute. San Diego said the move started with Oscar Verhoeven, and Dreyer took on a defender before setting up Ingvartsen in the middle. His right-footed finish went into the bottom left corner for 2-0.

Then the match changed. In the 80th minute, play stopped for an injury to San Diego captain Aníbal Godoy, and by Godoy's own account, he was told by the referee he had to leave the field even though he felt fine. LAFC scored while he was off. Son slipped Bouanga into the left side of the box, and Bouanga beat CJ dos Santos from a difficult angle. It was his 70th career MLS regular-season goal, making him the 51st player in league history to reach that mark, LAFC said, and Son's assist was his league-leading eighth.

The Turning Point: Nine Minutes

Nine minutes of stoppage time went up, and Godoy was not a fan.

"I don't know why the referee gives nine minutes. I think it's too much," he said.

San Diego switched to five at the back, according to Varas, but LAFC kept coming. Tyler Boyd forced a save from dos Santos in the 87th, and in the 94th minute dos Santos stopped Bouanga from the left side of the six-yard box after a Delgado through ball. San Diego said dos Santos had to come off after a collision in the box with Bouanga, and Duran Ferree replaced him in the 98th minute. Ferree had been on the field for about six minutes when Hollingshead struck.

That turn of events is the real hinge of the night. San Diego had controlled the game for 80 minutes, and then lost its captain for a stretch, lost its starting goalkeeper and lost its lead. Varas called it landing on "the wrong side of the razor thin margins in terms of winning the game."

Star Watch

Ingvartsen was the best player on the field before he came off in the 89th minute. San Diego said his two goals were his seventh and eighth of the MLS season. Dreyer assisted both, and the club counted 11 goal contributions for him, five goals and six assists.

For LAFC, Hollingshead's goal was the 32nd of his career and, per LAFC, moved him alone into second place among players listed primarily as defenders in MLS history, behind Brek Shea's 35. Segura made his 152nd regular-season appearance for the club, tying Carlos Vela for the most in LAFC history. Son changed the game off the bench with an assist, and Bouanga, who started his 11th straight league match, was a constant menace even after collecting a yellow card in the 90th minute.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: San Diego 56 percent, LAFC 44 percent.
• Shots: LAFC 9, San Diego 8. On target, LAFC led four to three.
• Passing: San Diego completed 596 of 668 passes; LAFC completed 441 of 526.
• Fouls: LAFC 17, San Diego 12, with five yellow cards in total.
• Saves: dos Santos two, Lloris one.

What It Means

LAFC moves to 6-3-2 with 21 points and is unbeaten in three league matches. MLS noted the Black and Gold have held third place in the Western Conference while managing a crowded calendar. Dos Santos kept it simple.

"We never give up," he said, and on the rivalry: "It's a rival... You don't wanna come to this game and just throw it away."

Next is the return leg in Toluca on Wednesday, with LAFC holding a 2-1 aggregate lead, before Houston visits on Sunday, May 10.

San Diego moves to 3-3-5 with 12 points. The point was its first in MLS play since a 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake on March 22, ending a run of five straight league defeats, though the club noted it is now winless in nine across all competitions. San Diego travels to Seattle on Saturday, May 9.

Closing Take

This one played like a heist movie where the crew spends 80 minutes getting caught and then escapes through the air vents in the final scene. San Diego did almost everything right and will be sick about the last 20 minutes. LAFC, with nine changes and a semifinal waiting, found a point it had no business taking at 2-0 down.

"Coming back in an away game in this stadium against an opponent that needed the win also, it shows the mindset of our guys, and that's an amazing place to be," Dos Santos said.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by San Diego FC (sandiegofc.com) and MLSsoccer.com, with match notes from LAFC (lafc.com).