The Benedictine University Mesa men's soccer team battled fiercely against Soka University of America on Saturday but fell 1–0 after a late goal decided the contest.
The opening half was marked by intensity and physicality from both sides. The Redhawks pressed forward early, creating chances through
Ryder Skolka,
Gergo Varga, and
Jonas Foppen, all of whom tested Soka goalkeeper Eric Aparicio. On the defensive end, Benedictine relied on goalkeeper
Rafael Machado, who entered in the 13th minute and made several key saves, including stops against Doruk Luleci and Alireza Sotoudeh.
Jonas Foppen also came up with a critical defensive save to deny a Soka scoring opportunity.
The match grew heated with multiple yellow cards handed out, three to Benedictine and four to Soka. Despite the back-and-forth play, the half ended scoreless after
Jack Jackson's header off a
Pol Bistue corner narrowly missed the frame.
In the second half, the Redhawks continued to generate looks on goal.
Jack Taylor nearly broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute with a shot cleared off the line, and later saw two headers denied—one sailing high and another stopped by Aparicio.
Wiktor Blachowicz also forced a save with a strong header, while Skolka, Foppen, and
Niels Derks each fired attempts that challenged the Soka defense.
The breakthrough finally came in the 88th minute when Soka's Mateus Seiki Rosa converted the game's only goal, breaking the deadlock and silencing the Redhawks' momentum. Benedictine pressed in the final minutes, including a late shot from
Ryder Padgett, but Aparicio came up with another crucial save to preserve the clean sheet.
Key Performances
Looking Ahead
The Redhawks are back on the field on Tuesday, September 16
th as they take on Park Gilbert at home for their flight night.
