Benedictine Mesa Upsets Top-Seeded Embry-Riddle to Reach Second Straight GSAC Championship
PRESCOTT, Ariz. – Fifth-seeded Benedictine Mesa continued its postseason run Thursday evening, upsetting top-seeded Embry-Riddle 1-0 to advance to the GSAC Men's Soccer Championship match for the second consecutive season. Josh Arnold scored the lone goal late in the first half, while Charlie Shepherd recorded a shutout to send the Redhawks into Monday's final against second-seeded The Master's.
The victory marked Benedictine Mesa's second consecutive upset in the tournament after the Redhawks opened postseason play with a 3-1 win over fourth-seeded Arizona Christian on Monday.
Benedictine Mesa threatened from the opening minute, when Kobe Bewicke forced Embry-Riddle goalkeeper Sam Macdonald into an early save. The Redhawks nearly broke through again in the 12th minute, but Eagles defender Dario Ajdini made a defensive save on Shay Carey's attempt to keep the match scoreless.
The breakthrough came in the 44th minute when Arnold found the back of the net off an assist from Lampros Zervas, giving Benedictine Mesa a 1-0 advantage heading into halftime. It was Arnold's second goal of the season and proved to be the game-winner.
The Redhawks continued to apply pressure after the break, nearly doubling their lead in the 52nd minute when Ryder Skolka struck the post. Macdonald kept Embry-Riddle within striking distance with saves on Skolka in the 67th minute and Christian Mata in the 75th minute.
Embry-Riddle searched for an equalizer throughout the second half, but the Benedictine Mesa defense limited the Eagles to just two shots on goal for the match. Nitai Bental led the Eagles' attack with a match-high seven shots, accounting for more than half of the team's 12 attempts.
The Eagles had one final opportunity in the closing minutes when Francesco Busini put a shot on target in the 89th minute, but Shepherd made the save to preserve the one-goal advantage and secure the shutout victory.
Benedictine Mesa finished with a 16-12 advantage in total shots and a 7-2 edge in shots on goal. Bewicke led the Redhawks with five attempts, including one on target, while Shepherd earned the win in goal with two saves. Macdonald recorded five saves for Embry-Riddle, which also received a defensive save from Ajdini.
Benedictine Mesa will travel to Santa Clarita, Calif., on Monday to face second-seeded The Master's in the GSAC Championship match at Reese Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT.
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