The Benedictine Mesa women's soccer team built a first-half lead on the road Thursday evening, but host Soka University scored twice in the second half to hand the Redhawks a 2-1 setback.
The Lions controlled much of the early possession and generated several scoring opportunities in the opening half, but goalkeeper Tatum Lally kept the match scoreless with a series of key saves. Benedictine's first quality chance came in the seventh minute when Rebecca Tomerlin tested Soka goalkeeper Lillian Dukes.
After weathering sustained pressure, the Redhawks struck first in the 28th minute. Following a save on a shot by Neshma Rodriguez, Benedictine capitalized moments later when Renata Manriquez found Rylee Hatcher, who finished for a goal and a 1-0 Redhawk advantage.
Lally continued her strong first-half performance, recording nine saves before halftime as Benedictine carried its one-goal lead into the break despite being outshot by the Lions.
Soka continued its attack after halftime and found the equalizer in the 69th minute when Anahi Aranda finished a pass from Keena Nakamura to level the match at 1-1. The Lions took the lead for good in the 80th minute as Kaylee Broome connected on a feed from Sabrina Benjamin to make it 2-1.
The Redhawks nearly answered immediately when Cassandra Sandoval's shot struck the post less than a minute later, narrowly missing an equalizer. Benedictine continued to battle in the closing minutes but was unable to find the back of the net as Soka held on for the victory.
Soka finished with a 31-8 advantage in shots and a 7-0 edge in corner kicks. Lally led the Redhawks with 11 saves, while Nenna Ford added two saves in the second half. Hatcher accounted for Benedictine's lone goal, with Manriquez earning the assist.
