Mesa, Ariz. — OUAZ women's soccer continued its recent surge on Saturday evening, earning its first Great Southwest Athletic Conference victory of the season with a commanding 7-1 road win over Benedictine Mesa.
The win improves the Spirit to 2-3-3 overall and 1-2-2 in GSAC play as OUAZ picked up its second consecutive victory.
OUAZ took control early and never looked back. Alee Williams opened the scoring off an assist from Janessa Lugo before Ailish Carey doubled the advantage. Desiree Dutra added another goal, and Carey struck for her second of the match on an assist from goalkeeper Eerika Erjansalo as the Spirit built a 4-0 lead. Marie Roman capped the first-half scoring with a goal assisted by Lugo, giving OUAZ a 5-0 halftime advantage.
The Spirit continued to dictate play in the second half. Lugo added a goal of her own before Madison Mendiola found the back of the net off an assist from Jocelyn Smith to stretch the lead to 7-0. The Redhawks broke up the shutout late with a penalty kick goal, but OUAZ's lead was never threatened.
Carey led the Spirit attack with two goals, while Lugo finished with a goal and two assists. Williams, Dutra, Roman, and Mendiola each scored once, and Erjansalo highlighted the night with an assist from the goalkeeper position. Smith also contributed an assist in the victory.
OUAZ controlled the match from start to finish, creating chances throughout the evening and forcing the Redhawks onto their heels for much of the contest. Defensively, Erjansalo earned the win before Adriana Duarte took over in goal during the second half, helping the Spirit secure the road result.
The Spirit will continue GSAC road play on Thursday, Oct. 1, when they travel to face Life Pacific. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. as OUAZ looks to build on its first conference victory of the season.
