Surprise, Ariz. – OUAZ men's soccer held a two-goal lead in the second half, but No. 20 Benedictine Mesa rallied with three unanswered goals to defeat the Spirit 3-2 on Thursday night at Spirit Field in GSAC action. The loss moves OUAZ to 2-9-2 overall and 1-6-1 in GSAC play.
The Spirit came out aggressive from the opening whistle, generating several quality opportunities in the first half. Mason Whisler recorded two early shots on target, while Jesus Castillo tested the Redhawks goalkeeper as OUAZ controlled much of the attacking play.
OUAZ broke through in the 17th minute when Chase Saverino found the back of the net for his first goal of the season, giving the Spirit a 1-0 advantage. The goal capped off a strong opening stretch that saw OUAZ outshoot Benedictine Mesa 13-5 in the first half.
Goalkeeper Major Evans was instrumental in maintaining the lead, making five first-half saves as the Spirit carried the one-goal advantage into halftime.
The Spirit doubled their lead in the 66th minute when Daniel Coke finished off an assist from Nickolas Linares Dominguez. The goal was Coke's fifth of the season and put OUAZ in command with a 2-0 lead.
Benedictine Mesa responded quickly, scoring in the 74th minute to cut the deficit in half. Just over three minutes later, the Redhawks found the equalizer to tie the match at 2-2.
The two teams battled evenly over the final minutes before Benedictine Mesa found the decisive goal in the 90th minute to complete the comeback and hand the Spirit a 3-2 defeat.
Despite the setback, OUAZ finished with an 18-16 advantage in shots and placed nine shots on goal. Harry Dwelly led the Spirit with five shots, while Whisler added three shots on target. Evans finished the night with nine saves.
By the Numbers
Up Next
The Spirit (2-9-2, 1-6-1 GSAC) return to the road on Saturday, Oct. 10, for a conference matchup against Park Gilbert. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. as OUAZ looks to bounce back in GSAC play.
