INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 24 ranked Spring Arbor University men's soccer team closed out the regular season on the road at Marian University in dramatic fashion on Saturday night. The Cougars were unable to hold onto a late second half lead as the Knights scored in the 90th minute to send the match to overtime. And, just when a tie seemed to be at hand, SAU struck late in the second overtime frame to secure a big road win to end the regular season.

THE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: #24 Spring Arbor 3, Marian 2

LOCATION: St. Vincent Field | Indianapolis, Ind.

RECORDS: Spring Arbor 11-3-4 (5-1-3 CL), Marian 7-10-1 (4-5-0 CL)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• In an evenly played first half, the Knights of Marian struck first. The ball fell at the feet of forward Zach Sneiderwine who finished the ball in to the back of the net in the 27th minute.
• The first half saw the Cougars post six shots total, and two on goal, while Marian posted four shots and two on goal.
• Midway through the second half, the Cougars would tie it up. Spring Arbor's Lewis Jones found Michael Caccavo in the 65th minute to even the score 1-1.
• Caccavo was not done. In the 82nd minute, Jacob Crull found him again for his second goal of the night giving the Cougars a late 2-1 lead.
• However, Spring Arbor could not hold on to the lead. In the final minute, MU's Sterling Steadham was on the receiving end of a Quinton Bridegroom pass which tied the game late.
• Overtime was back and forth. Late in the second overtime the game seemed destined for a draw until Caccavo's huge night got even bigger. The senior found Cory Swartzendruber who finished beautifully in the 108th minute of the contest for the winner.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

• Spring Arbor gets a huge road win to end the regular season. The win secures the Cougars a two-seed in the postseason, which means home field advantage all the way until the championship game.
• Cobi Piper made three big saves on the evening for Spring Arbor.
• The Cougars outshot Marian 22-11 on the evening.

FOR THE FOES

• Marian posted five shots on goal, led by Sneiderwine and Bridegroom with two apiece.
• Marian finishes seventh in the conference which means they will travel up to Spring Arbor to play the Cougars in the first round of the Crossroads League Tournament.

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH NATHAN MILLER

• "It certainly took a lot of grit from the guys to overcome some poor setbacks that we brought on ourselves. It took a lot of character to rebound and finish the game better than we have in the past 10 days."
• "We were horrible in the first half and the guys responded very well after a difficult halftime. Michael led by example and was crucial as he has been so many times in the past. And that finish from Cory was special, very proud of that young man."
• "I thought Marian worked very hard and played very well. They are a well-coached team."

UP NEXT

Spring Arbor will host Marian in the opening round of the Crossroads League Tournament next Saturday, Oct. 29.

Men's Soccer Contact: Chris Bauman | 517-750-6504 | christopher.bauman@arbor.edu
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