The Benedictine University Mesa women's soccer team battled hard but came up short Thursday night, falling 2–0 to OUAZ in a conference matchup on the road.
The Redhawks had an early test in goal, as goalkeeper
Thea Draganova was called into action less than two minutes into the match, denying an attempt from OUAZ's Lexy Rowe. Benedictine earned a corner in the 3rd minute, but OUAZ's defense held firm.
The Spirit continued to pressure, and after several near chances
, OUAZ broke through in the 15th minute slotting home the opening goal. OUAZ carried the momentum into halftime, but Draganova kept the Redhawks in the game with a series of key saves to keep it 1–0 at the break.
Benedictine came out in the second half looking to create more opportunities, with
Rylee Hatcher firing high in the 56th minute and
Dahlia Alonso later testing the Spirit defense with shots of her own. The Redhawks built attacking sequences through
Paula Gonzalez Castro and
Neshma Rodriguez but couldn't find the finishing touch.
OUAZ doubled their lead in the 72nd minute to make it 2–0. Despite a late push from Benedictine—including a close-range attempt in the 86th minute and a strike from Gonzalez Castro in the 88th—the Spirit backline closed the door to secure the shutout.
Key Players
Looking Ahead
The Redhawks return to action on Saturday, hosting SOKA at 5:30 p.m.
