In the first half, Benedictine Mesa Women's Soccer had a tough start as Park-Gilbert quickly found the back of the net just 19 seconds in, giving the Buccaneers an early lead. Benedictine responded well, though, and after an offside call and a couple of fouls, they managed to equalize in the 4th minute with a goal from
Julia Bodelasse. Both teams battled fiercely, with Park-Gilbert applying pressure, but Benedictine's goalkeeper,
Alinah Hueramo, stood tall with several crucial saves.
Park-Gilbert continued to dominate possession, earning multiple corner kicks and getting off several shots that either missed the mark or were saved by Hueramo. Benedictine's defense absorbed the pressure until the 38th minute when Park-Gilbert regained the lead. Despite more attempts from the Buccaneers, Hueramo's goalkeeping kept the game within reach, and the half ended with Benedictine trailing 2-1.
In the second half, the Redhawks came out determined to close the gap. Early on, Park-Gilbert was shown a yellow card, and Benedictine's
Brylee Rod responded with a shot, though it went wide. Benedictine's defense and goalkeeper,
Josephine Cisneros, who replaced
Alinah Hueramo, were kept busy with multiple Park-Gilbert attempts, including a defensive save by
Mellysa Galiz and strong stops from Cisneros. Benedictine fought hard to create chances, with
Julia Bodelasse and
Brylee Rod taking shots, but they couldn't find the target.
Despite Park-Gilbert's continued pressure, including a flurry of substitutions and shots, Cisneros stood firm with several saves. Benedictine looked dangerous on the counter, with a corner kick from Bodelasse and another wide shot from Rod. As the clock wound down, Park-Gilbert's frustration boiled over, leading to a red card in the 88th minute, giving Benedictine a numerical advantage in the final moments. Despite a late effort from
Nadia Jaffer and a saved shot from Rod, the Redhawks couldn't find the equalizer, and the match ended in a 2-1 defeat.
Key Individuals:
Looking Ahead: The Redhawks are back on the field on Saturday, October 12
th as they head to Glendale to play Arizona Christian.
