Aiden Benitez has a team-leading two goals this season, both in the 70th minute or later. Photo by Alison Skowronek.

OWEN PRISCOTT | STAFF REPORTER | opriscott@butler.edu 

From Indianapolis to Kansas City, to youth national team matches in Mexico and El Salvador, Aiden Benitez has traveled far for the beautiful game. This fall, the first-year forward has come full circle, playing in front of Butler fans at the Sellick Bowl and leading the Bulldogs in goals. 

Raised in Indy, Benitez started playing soccer at just four years old. By 15, he was a midfielder, until Sporting KC Academy molded him into a striker. 

“They just put me at striker because I scored goals,” Benitez said. 

The move stuck, and his finishing ability has carried over through every level since then. Even after his high school days in Kansas City and his experiences abroad, Benitez makes it clear where his heart is. 

“Home is 100% Indianapolis,” Benitez said. 

Returning home to Butler has given him the chance to play in front of family and friends while representing the city he grew up in. Benitez even has roots with Butler soccer.

“I remember he was a ball boy here,” head coach Paul Snape said. “He was on the sideline when Wilmer Cabrera — one of the best players we’ve ever had — was playing. We’ve known Aiden for a long time.”

For Benitez, the return has been everything he has hoped for.

“It feels great … being around a great team of guys and fully supported by my coaches,” Benitez said. 

That support has translated into early results. Benitez’s debut season is highlighted by an incredible last-second strike against Western Michigan, which lifted the Bulldogs to a 2-1 win on Sept. 5. He fired off five shots against the Broncos, but only needed one to deliver the game’s decider. Benitez also lifted the Bulldogs to their first win of the season by way of the go-ahead goal in a 1-0 win against Bowling Green. 

For Benitez, persistence is everything. 

“Every time I shoot a ball, I just say, ‘The next one’s gonna go in,’” Benitez said. 

This mindset has helped Benitez transition smoothly into the college game, where he’s become an immediate difference-maker. But his impact isn’t just measured in goals — it is evident in the trust he has already built within the team

Benitez’s play has impressed not only fans but also his teammates, particularly senior midfielder Sam Pitts-Eckersall, who has seen the first year’s impact up close. 

“It’s great that he’s got four years ahead of him as well, and he’s already come in and started quickly,” Pitts-Eckersall said. “It shows that he’s put in work before he came here, and he’s been grinding for a while. It’s not just something that happens overnight.”

That preparation has translated into the mentality Pitts-Eckersall believes makes Benitez stand out. Whether it’s finishing late chances against Bowling Green or hammering away with four shots before a game-winner against Western Michigan, the captain believes Benitez’s relentlessness is crucial. 

“He just never really lets up,” Pitts-Eckersall said. “Like he said, ‘the next shot is always going to go in,’ and that’s the sort of mentality he brings to everything. It’s not just shooting — it’s the next one, the next one, the next one. He’s relentless in his work ethic, and it shows.”

Off the field, Pitts-Eckersall describes Benitez similarly to the way the youngster described himself: a laid-back guy who can lighten the mood in the locker room. 

“He’ll be a little quiet, but he’ll come out with some good one-liners here and there,” Pitts-Eckersall said. “He’s a very chill guy, he’s very good to have in the locker room.”

That calmness mixed with his on-field mentality has already given Benitez opportunities to lead despite being a first-year player for Butler.

“Freshmen sometimes can get hung up on the mistakes they made,” Pitts-Eckersall said. “This kid just keeps going and going and going and that’s contagious; it doesn’t just spread to the freshmen, it spreads to other people on the team.”

Snape has known about Benitez for years, even before he fully suited up for Butler from his days as a ball boy. Snape followed Benitez’s path through Sporting KC’s academy, where coaches raved about his work ethic and development. 

“They just couldn’t speak highly enough of him,” Snape said. “His character has been an A-plus.” 

That character helped Aiden show up on the field from the moment he set foot on Butler’s campus. Snape — who has experienced the transition himself — admitted that the jump from academy soccer to the college game is tough. However, Benitez hit the ground running and has not slowed down. 

“He’s got this knack to create and score goals,” Snape said. “What I love about him is he’s got this versatility to play in a couple [of] positions. He’s good with the ball at his feet, but he’s always willing to run in behind and his movement is good. He’s got a big-time future and we really like him.”

Snape also pointed to the experience Benitez was able to get training with the first-team professionals in Kansas City. 

“He’s a sponge,” Snape said. “Every single day for three or four years, he was hearing things, he was seeing things and being coached. When you come into an environment like this, you’re like, ‘Okay, I’m good enough to be here.’ He’s very humble and very strong. Sometimes if you want humility, you also need strength, and he possesses both of those attributes.”

Snape saw that mentality shine through in Benitez’s 90th-minute winner against Western Michigan.

“You kind of resign yourself sometimes to knowing the other team is gonna run the clock down,” Snape said. “But Aiden’s mental speed was already ahead. He slipped it under the keeper with seven seconds left, and it was incredible.”

Despite the success, Benitez learned from that moment, earning his first red card during the celebration that kept him out of the following game against Pittsburgh, which Butler dropped 4-1. Snape says he sees a foundation being built. 

“He’s got a knack for goals,” Snape said. “[He’s] an exceptional character and he’s already made a huge impact.” 

For Benitez, the adjustment to college soccer has been more than just goals and minutes. It has also been about balancing school, travel and the daily grind of being a Division I student-athlete. Snape credited Butler’s support staff for easing that transition, but Benitez’s approach has been to stay calm on and off the field. 

“I don’t like to get too hype,” Benitez said. “That’s not my style. I’ll listen to Spanish music, stuff that makes you dance.”

Benitez has been a natural fit for a Butler team chasing consistency this season. Whether it comes from the captain pointing to his relentless mentality, or his coach highlighting his knack to score, the message across comes the same: the hometown kid belongs here. 

As Pitts-Eckersall noted, the best part for Butler is that he’s just getting started.