Aranda’s Brace Helps ACU Battle To A Draw On Senior Night
Glendale, Ariz. – Arizona Christian battled to a 2-2 draw against Benedictine Mesa on Thursday night at ACU Soccer Field, as Raul Aranda scored twice to help the Firestorm earn a point in their final home matchup of the regular season.
MATCH INFO
Score: Benedictine Mesa – 2, Arizona Christian – 2
Records: Benedictine Mesa – 8-6-3, GSAC 6-5-2 | Arizona Christian – 8-6-4, GSAC 7-4-2
Location: ACU Soccer Field, Glendale, AZ
STAT TRACKER
Raul Aranda – 2 goals, 5 shots, 4 shots on goal
Josh Flanagan – 3 shots, 1 shot on goal
Alexander Menolascina – 2 shots
Noah Arter – 2 shots, 1 shot on goal
Emiliano Vega – 2 goals allowed, 5 saves
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Benedictine Mesa struck first in the 20th minute when Kobe Bewicke found the back of the net off an assist from Bryan Ncube to give the Redhawks a 1-0 advantage.
- ACU responded in the 29th minute as Aranda scored his fourth goal of the season to even the contest at 1-1 heading into halftime.
- The Firestorm came out with renewed energy in the second half, continuing to pressure the Benedictine Mesa defense.
- ACU’s efforts paid off in the 73rd minute when Aranda scored his second goal of the night, giving ACU a 2-1 lead and putting the Firestorm in position to secure the victory.
- However, the Redhawks answered quickly, as Ryder Skolka found the net just 44 seconds later to bring the score level at 2-2.
- Despite both teams continuing to search for a go-ahead goal, neither side was able to break the deadlock, and the match ended in a draw.
- ACU finished the contest with 14 shots, including seven on goal, while the Firestorm defense recorded five saves.
- ACU tied with Benedictine Mesa, 2-2.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH TED KRZYWIECKI
“Tonight was a physical and competitive match and we had some really strong performances from our seniors. BenU is a good side and they have some talented players, so we knew it was going to be a difficult match. We will need to work on a few details as we prepare for the postseason on Monday.”
NEXT UP
On Monday, the Firestorm will host #5 seed Benedictine Mesa at 6pm at the ACU Soccer Field for the first round of the GSAC conference championship tournament.
