The Benedictine Mesa women's soccer team came up just short in a tough 3–2 loss against Park-Gilbert on Tuesday night. Despite a resilient comeback that saw the Redhawks erase a two-goal deficit, Park's late strike sealed the match.
Park-Gilbert struck first in the 18th minute when Kalei Ganotisi finished a cross from Mikenzie Kulish to make it 1–0. Just six minutes later, the Buccaneers doubled their lead as Lauren Runnion found the back of the net, again with Kulish providing the assist.
Benedictine kept fighting, creating chances through
Rylee Hatcher,
Cahryn Rod, and
Jodie McCulloch, but Park's keeper held firm. The breakthrough came just before halftime when Hatcher capitalized on a feed from Rod, cutting the deficit to 2–1 in the 44th minute.
The Redhawks carried that momentum into the second half. In the 47th minute, Paula Gonzalez Castró buried the equalizer, pulling Benedictine level at 2–2. From there, both teams traded opportunities, with Benedictine keeper
Thea Draganova making several key saves to keep the score tied.
The match appeared destined for a draw until the 87th minute, when Park's Yadira Bernal scored the game-winner off a pass from Megan O'Neill, giving the Buccaneers the 3–2 edge. Despite a final push, the Redhawks couldn't find another equalizer before the final whistle.
Key Players
Looking Ahead
The Redhawks return to the field on Saturday, September 20, when they host Hope International.
