Prescott, ARIZ.- The OUAZ men's soccer team came up short on the road Thursday evening, falling 3-0 to Embry-Riddle (AZ) in GSAC play. With the loss, the Spirit move to 3-7-2 overall and 2-5-2 in conference action.
The opening half was a defensive battle, as both sides traded possessions and defensive stands to keep the match scoreless through 45 minutes. Goalkeeper Johnathan Garcia anchored the Spirit defense with several key stops, holding off the Eagles attack early on. However, Embry-Riddle broke through in the 54th minute when Nitai Bental capitalized on a pass from Ravi Holladay to put the Eagles ahead 1-0. Just a minute later, Bental struck again, this time off an assist from Lucas Thompson to double the lead. The Eagles extended their advantage in the 62nd minute as Cesar Battistini found the back of the net, assisted by Sean Maguire. Despite the deficit, OUAZ continued to battle, registering eight saves and showing resilience against an aggressive offensive push from Embry-Riddle.
The Spirit will look to bounce back as they return home to Spirit Field on Saturday, October 18th, to host Life Pacific in a key GSAC matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. (MST). Stay updated on all things OUAZ Athletics at ouazspirit.com, through the OUAZ Spirit mobile app, or by following @OUAZSpirit on X and @ouazspirit on Instagram.
