Mustangs fall to Ravens at home

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Benedictine scored twice in the first half and added three more scores after the break to defeat the Mount Mercy women's soccer team, 5-0, in a Heart of America Athletic Conference match on Saturday evening at Hadzic Field.

After winning two straight, the Mustangs have dropped two in a row in conference play and stand at 3-7-1 overall and 2-6-0 in the Heart. The Ravens have now won four consecutive matches and six of their past seven to go to 10-4-0 and 7-1-0 in the league.

Christine Znidarsic scored the first two goals for the Ravens, the first on a Riley Degner assist in the 13th minute and an unassisted score 13 minutes later. Despite the early goals, the Mustangs stayed in the match until midway through the second half when Benedictine scored three times over a 10-minute span to put the game away.

Grace Byers made stopped six shots before leaving with an injury in the 74th minute. Jasmin Aeschlimann had a save in relief of Byers. Overall, the Ravens out-shot the Mustangs, 22-3, while putting 13 of those on goal compared to two by Mount Mercy.

Another challenge lies ahead for the Mustangs, who travel to Fayette, Mo., to face eighth-ranked Central Methodist on Oct. 15 at 6:30 pm.