Leavenworth, Kan.— Spire men's soccer battled the No. 12 to a 0-0 draw Wednesday, October 14
th at Berkel Memorial with Obregon Macias denying
Mario Santoro's potential winner on a defensive save at 89:09. The Spires finished with a 15-14 advantage in shots in the electric evening under the lights.
Xavier Ezell was crucial for USM, making seven saves over 90 minutes, and three Spire defenders added stops to preserve the shutout. Freshman
Damon Walter made the first defensive save against Benbella at 18:18, then forced OKWU goalkeeper Rodic into a save at 20:42.
Aaron Jackson provided the closest first-half chance for the Spires, hitting the post at 42:48 as the teams reached halftime scoreless.
USM increased its attacking pressure after the break, generating 12 shots after taking three in the first half. Jackson tested Rodic at 47:36 before
Gabriel Carrillo denied Benbella with a defensive save at 50:14. The Spires then put three shots on target in 34 seconds, but Rodic stopped
Alfie Scandle at 61:11,
Rylan Nowak at 61:40 and
Luis Rincon at 61:45.
Ezell kept the Eagles off the scoreboard with saves at 68:20 and 69:16, and
Roberto Garcia Gomez added the Spires third defensive save by stopping Vidan at 79:45. USM pushed again late, with Rodic saving Santoro's shot at 84:41 and Nowak's header at 85:09. Ezell answered by denying Benbella at 86:44 for the goalkeeper's seventh save.
Jackson led his team with four shots, while Santoro put all three attempts on target and Nowak finished with two shots on goal. Rodic recorded eight saves, helping OKWU withstand the Spires' second-half pressure. Oklahoma Wesleyan held a 10-9 edge in shots on goal.
Coming Up…
The Spires have an exciting weekend on the horizon as they host the York University Panthers for
Senior Day this Saturday, October, 17th. USM will celebrate their seniors with the men's match set to begin at 3:30 p.m.
