Box Score

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — The Crusaders dominated play, and with time ticking away Abraham Placito made sure the game didn't slip away.

Placito headed home the game winner off a corner kick with 1 minutes, 52 seconds left in regulation, lifting the Northwest Nazarene men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over host Dominican (Calif.) on Tuesday.

"In nearly every aspect of the game we were really good today," said NNU head men's soccer coach Coe Michaelson, whose team completed its pre-conference schedule with a 4-1 overall record with the win. "We played well, put them under immense pressure, had a ton of the ball, created chances and conceded very little defensively, and honestly it felt like it was just a matter of time."

The Crusaders (4-1-0) outshot the Penguins (0-4-0) by a 17-5 margin, including an 11-1 edge in the second half, but Dominican goalkeeper Patrick Rabbitt made four saves to keep NNU off the scoreboard much of the day.

Reigning GNAC Defensive Player of the Week, Ryan Foo, stopped just as many shots for the Crusaders to earn his second shutout of the season and give his team time to net the winner.

With time running out, and the Crusader sideline getting just a bit tense, Jan Ilskens' shot was blocked by the Penguin defense, setting up an NNU corner kick.

Julio Castillo sent the ball to the box where it was flicked on by Erik Anderson and headed home by Placito for the 1-0 win.

"All of a sudden there are five minutes left and you're thinking, 'Is this one of those days?'" Michaelson said, "but I give the guys a ton of credit for persevering. That second half was as dominant of a half as you're going to see in the college game and I'm just relieved the goal eventually came."

The win gives NNU a season sweep of Dominican in soccer, and by the same 1-0 margin, as the Crusader women topped the Penguins on Saturday, 1-0, on a Nicole Nsa goal and eight saves by Daniele Ortiz.

With the pre-conference slate done, the Crusader men now begin GNAC play at home this Saturday at 3 p.m., hosting Concordia at Finkbeiner Park on the NNU campus.