The Benedictine Mesa men's soccer team played to a gritty 1–1 draw against conference rival Park-Gilbert on Tuesday night, with both sides trading momentum in a physical and tightly contested match.
The Redhawks came out aggressive, registering multiple early shots from
Gergo Varga and a header attempt by
Carlos Barraza that forced Park goalkeeper Nicklas Lagesen into action. Benedictine kept up the pressure with corner kicks from
Edwin Arias, but Park's defense held strong through the opening 30 minutes.
Park-Gilbert responded with chances of their own, including efforts from Ilan Rodriguez-Roda and Caden Dosmann, but Benedictine's keeper
Rafael Machado was sharp between the posts. The breakthrough came in the 40th minute when
Wiktor Blachowicz buried a chance to give the Redhawks a 1–0 lead heading into halftime.
The second half turned into a back-and-forth battle. Park nearly equalized in the 53rd minute when Havard Brynie's strike rattled off the post. Machado continued his standout performance, coming up with several crucial saves to preserve the lead.
In the 72nd minute, however, Park-Gilbert pulled level on an unfortunate own goal by the Redhawks. The final 20 minutes saw both teams exchange chances, with shots from
Rodrigo Bonilla,
Edwin Arias, and
Gergo Varga for Benedictine, and late efforts by Luis Martinez and Ilan Rodriguez-Roda for Park. Physical play dominated the closing minutes, with yellow cards issued to both sides, but neither team could find a winner before the final whistle.
Key Players
Looking Ahead
The Redhawks return to the field on Saturday, September 20, when they host Hope International.
