Benedictine University Mesa men's soccer battled hard on the road but came up just short in a 2–1 defeat to Southern Oregon on Friday night.
The Redhawks weathered early pressure as goalkeeper Moritz Ae made several key saves to deny the Raiders, including stops against Harry Cullen and Kaden Barker. Benedictine nearly opened the scoring through a series of set pieces, with Jack Taylor narrowly missing on two headers off corner kicks.
Southern Oregon struck first in the 33rd minute when Irwin Leon finished a cross from Ariel De Dios Cruz to put the hosts ahead 1–0. Benedictine answered in the 43rd minute as Niels Derks netted his first goal of the season off a setup from Ryder Padgett, leveling the match at 1–1. However, just before halftime the Raiders reclaimed the lead when Mustafa Daggig converted a penalty kick to send Southern Oregon into the break up 2–1.
The second half brought end-to-end action, with both sides generating chances. The Redhawks pressed forward through opportunities from Shiloh Perez, Ethan Lush, and Pol Bistue, but Southern Oregon's defense and goalkeeper Casey Ruvolo held firm. Ae continued to shine in net, adding multiple stops to keep Benedictine within striking distance.
Despite late efforts from Gergo Varga and Padgett, whose shots in the closing minutes sailed just high, the Redhawks were unable to find an equalizer as the Raiders held on for the win.
Benedictine showed resilience and competitive spirit throughout the contest, setting a strong tone as they look ahead to the rest of the season.
Key Players
Looking Ahead
The Redhawks return home on August 26 for their regular-season home opener against Nelson University.
