SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The second-seeded Spring Arbor University men's soccer team erupted for six goals, including four in the second half, to post a convincing 6-1 win over seventh-seeded Marian University on Saturday night in the Crossroads League Tournament Quarterfinals.

The No. 23 ranked Cougars advance to the tournament semifinals where they will play host to sixth-seeded Indiana Wesleyan University next Saturday, Nov. 5 at 3 p.m.

THE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: #23 Spring Arbor 6, Marian 1

LOCATION: Cougar Soccer Complex | Spring Arbor, Mich.

RECORDS: Spring Arbor 12-3-4, Marian 7-11-1

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Coming off a thrilling 3-2 double-overtime victory over Marian in the final match of the regular season, Spring Arbor made sure the match tonight was never in question. The Cougars wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as freshman Jacob Crull took a pass from sophomore Janum Sailor and slipped a shot past the MU netminder less than two minutes into the contest.
• Spring Arbor was in complete control throughout the first half and added to its lead in the 33rd minute with a strike from Morris Kamara.
• Junior Lewis Jones made it a 3-0 game just over five minutes into the second half, but Marian would trim the deficit to two following a goal from Sterling Steadham in the 55th minute.
• The Cougars responded immediately, though, as Kamara found the back of the net for the second time. After a shot from Crull bounced off the post, Kamara pounced on the rebound and buried a shot to boot the lead back to three, 4-1.
• Junior Jake Sterling capped the scoring for SAU, tallying two goals less than a minute apart.
• Spring Arbor outshot Marian 33-4 on the night. The Cougars also earned four corner kicks while the Knights finished with zero.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

• With the win, Spring Arbor advances to the league tournament semifinals for the sixth consecutive year.
• Kamara now has nine goals on the season, which ranks third in the conference. Meanwhile, Crull now sits atop the league leaderboard in assists with eight following his two-assist night.
• Spring Arbor's six goals tonight are tied for the most scored in a single game this season. The Cougars also tallied six against Greenville College back on Sept. 2.

FOR THE KNIGHTS

• Sterling Steadham scored the lone goal for Marian with an assist from Tommy Bullock. It was the 10th goal of the season for Steadham.
• Goalkeeper Tyler Blattner finished the match with nine saves.

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH NATHAN MILLER

• "I'm so proud of the guys tonight. We really performed at a high level and competed at an even higher one then that. It was rock-n-roll soccer for sure and it was a fun, fun night."
• "Our bench was fabulous, our pressing and counter-pressing were so sharp with total commitment from the players. Having a week to prepare is so good for us and the guys prepared extremely well. We look forward to the semi's at home!"

UP NEXT

Spring Arbor will host Indiana Wesleyan (10-6-2) in the Crossroads League Tournament Semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 3 p.m.

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