Benedictine Mesa Men's Soccer team battled hard but fell short to Park Gilbert 1-3. The Redhawks applied early pressure, with Tshepiso Ntuli taking the game's first shot in the 9th minute, but Park's goalie was there to make the save. Moments later, Benedictine earned a corner kick from Edwin Arias, keeping Park-Gilbert's defense on high alert.
The half saw a physical exchange with fouls and offsides on both sides. In the 24th minute, Gergo Varga forced another save, but Park-Gilbert soon responded with a goal by Sam Fowles, assisted by Ryan Masterson, putting the Redhawks down 1-0. Just minutes later, Park-Gilbert doubled their lead when Havard Brynie scored off an assist from Noah Yalu in the 29th minute.
Undeterred, Benedictine fought back as substitute Shiloh Perez found the net in the 34th minute with a well-placed shot assisted by Arias, narrowing the score to 2-1. Tholo Malebo kept up the pressure with a blocked shot in the 36th minute, while the Redhawks' defense held strong to close out the half trailing by one goal.
In the second half, Benedictine Mesa fought for the equalizer, with intensity rising as they received a yellow card eight minutes in. Park-Gilbert soon received a yellow card as well, highlighting the game's competitive edge. Benedictine pushed forward, with Ethan Lush testing Lagesen around the 50th minute.
Midway through the half, Benedictine made key substitutions, adding fresh legs with Ryder Padgett and Tshepiso Ntuli. Gergo Varga's header in the 67th minute nearly equalized but was stopped by Park. Following a corner kick from Reagan Rintoul, Park-Gilbert extended their lead to 3-1 with Ashton Owen's goal, assisted by Marco Taiochi, in the 69th minute.
Benedictine kept pressing, with shots from Arias and Jack Taylor that went just wide. Despite continued opportunities, including a powerful header from Taylor in the 89th minute, Park's steady goalkeeping sealed Park-Gilbert's 3-1 victory.
Key Individuals
Looking Ahead
The Redhawks will play their last home game and celebrate senior night on Saturday, November 2nd, at 7:30 PM against OUAZ.
