Sara Hingley’s goal with three minutes left helped Benicia High’s girls varsity soccer team salvage a 1-1 tie at Vanden on Tuesday.

After a scoreless first half, Angel Guerrerro gave Vanden the lead when she took a pass from Anngelica Terry and scored in the 59th minute. It looked like the Lady Vikings were going to hold on for a shutout victory until Benicia’s Tatiana Soglin dribbled down the left sideline and sent a perfect crossing pass to Hingley, who sailed a shot over the head of Vanden goalkeeper Gabby Martinez but under the crossbar for the tying goal.

“We were very fortunate to get this tie and it’s better than a loss,” said Benicia head coach Javier Martinez. “We played the last 20 minutes of the game the way I’d like to see us play. We were more consistent and shared the ball, and that’s something we have to do if we want to be successful.”

Benicia improved to 4-6-1 overall and 0-1-1 in the Solano County Athletic Conference, five points behind unbeaten American Canyon (2-0 SCAC) for first place. Vanden is 1-0-1 in conference play.

All 11 of Benicia’s games this season have been on the road, including games at Vanden and American Canyon – the two teams expected to challenge defending champion Benicia for the SCAC title.

“Vanden was very beatable and we made too many mental mistakes against American Canyon,” Martinez said. “We have to take care of business ourselves, but I feel good about our chances after this game.”

Benicia’s home opener is Thursday night against Fairfield at Drolette Stadium.

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