Box Score

SEATTLE, Wash. - SWEET VICTORY!

The first-ever trip to nationals for the Crusader men's soccer team keeps rolling along as Northwest Nazarene added its first win at the NCAA Division II National Tournament to year filled with firsts.

Unfazed by playing their first national tournament game the Crusaders came out firing, and undaunted by foe Simon Fraser - which played in the last two national semifinal games - NNU scored 22 minutes, 27 seconds into the game, then held on for a 1-0 victory at Interbay Stadium.

"I'm really proud of the guys," said NNU head men's soccer coach Coe Michaelson. "First half we were so dominant, it's too bad we weren't able to get more of a cushion because we knew they would throw everything at us."

Early on the Crusaders (15-3-1) dominated as Julio Castillo nearly made it 1-0 in the first five minutes, banging a shot off the crossbar.

Simon Fraser goalkeeper Brandon Watson then turned aside chances by Yannick Petzschke and Erik Anderson, and Fredy Razo sent a shot just over the net, as NNU attacked with a flurry of chances.

Then, Castillo took a pass from Razo and sent it forward to NNU redshirt freshman Marshall Hartley, who got behind the Clan defense and beat SFU keeper Watson for the lone goal of the day.

"It was some great combination play from Fredy and Julio that got me isolated and then Julio's pass was perfect, so for me it was just a matter of beating the goalkeeper one on one," said Hartley, whose second collegiate goal proved to be the game-winner in the Crusaders biggest game, to date.

Now comes a new biggest game as NNU advances to face West sub-Regional host and top-seeded Seattle Pacific at 8 p.m. (MT) in Seattle.

"We are obviously thrilled, but as we've said all year, this game's over and the biggest game is the next one," Michaelson said, looking ahead.

But before the Crusaders earned a shot at the Falcons on Saturday, they had to hold back the Clan (11-5-2).

"We talked at halftime that a team like Simon Fraser doesn't go down without a fight, so composure and grit to weather the second-half storm was a big focus at halftime," Michaelson said. "And in the end we had it in us."

Down a goal, Simon Fraser relentlessly looked for the answer, outshooting the Crusaders 9-1 in the second half, and 15-8 total in the game.

But NNU's composure shone through as Alfredo E. Ontiveros made two saves in the second half and three overall. He got some help from his defense, which blocked a shot in the second half, and NNU held on for the 1-0 win.

"It was a really hard-fought game and our defense came up huge late when they were throwing numbers at us," Hartley said.

Along with being the Crusader men's soccer team's first win, it's the first Crusader team Nationals victory since the NNU women's basketball team notched an 83-79 win over Western Washington in March 2003 in their first-ever NCAA National Tournament appearance.

And just another first in a season that also saw the Crusader men's soccer team earn a first-ever NCAA Top 25 ranking - ranked No. 22 in the Oct. 7 National Soccer Coaches Association of America - and set a program single-season record with 15 wins.

Hopefully not the last first, or the final win.