The Benedictine University Mesa men's soccer team earned a convincing 2–0 victory over OUAZ on Thursday night, powered by goals from
Jack Taylor and
Raegan Rintoul and a strong defensive effort.
The Redhawks started with energy, creating early chances through
Pol Bistue and
Carlos Barraza, both testing OUAZ goalkeeper
Jonathan Garcia. After sustained pressure and back-to-back corners, Benedictine struck in the 22nd minute when
Jack Taylor finished off a setup from
Edwin Arias, giving the Redhawks a 1–0 lead.
Benedictine continued to press in the first half, forcing Garcia into several saves, including stops against
Niels Derks and Rintoul. On the defensive end, goalkeeper
Moritz Ae and the backline kept OUAZ's attack quiet, sending the Redhawks into halftime ahead 1–0.
In the second half, Benedictine kept their foot on the gas.
Ethan Lush fired off two quick attempts just after the restart, while Barraza and Bistue continued to generate looks on goal. The Redhawks finally broke through again in the 79th minute, when
Raegan Rintoul found the back of the net to double the lead.
Benedictine's depth played a big role down the stretch, with multiple substitutions keeping fresh legs on the field to control possession and see out the match. Ae stood tall in goal, backed by a disciplined defensive unit, to complete the shutout.
Key Players
Looking Ahead
The Redhawks are back on the field Saturday, hosting SOKA at 8:00 p.m.
