Saturday night, the Raven men's soccer team took on a fellow member
of the NAIA top 10 out in Salt Lake City as they matched up against No. 2
The Masters (Calif.) College.
In an early-season, NAIA Game of the Week, the No. 10 Ravens played a
1-1 tie with the Mustangs on a neutral field at Westminster College.
The match up was one of two early season matches between NAIA preseason
top 25 schools and was tabbed by the NAIA as a "marquee early-season
matchup could weigh heavy as these two squads will be looking to get
back to the national championship for a second consecutive season."
The Masters played in the 2009 NAIA title game, falling to Lindsey
Wilson who start this season as the preseason No. 1 team in the country.
While Benedictine was coming off a season-opening win over
Westminster on Friday night, The Masters was looking to rebound from a
loss on Thursday to Westminster.
Both goals were scored inside the first 10 minutes of play, with
Benedictine's Kyle Greig (Jr., Olathe) netting the first goal just 21
seconds in the match.
The Masters answered during the ninth minute of play on a goal from Joel Peluffo.
The two squad were deadlocked in shots at 10 each while The Masters held a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal.
Benedictine keeper Mark Saxby (Jr., Olathe) tallied three saves - all of which came in the second half to help preserve the tie.
Benedictine returns home for a 7:30 p.m. match on Saturday against Hastings College at the BC Soccer Complex.
Saturday's match with be the 2010 opener for No. 15-ranked Hastings.
Last season, the Ravens upset then ranked No. 11 Hastings, which helped
propel Benedictine on to the national radar.
