SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University men's soccer team shook off a slow start to rally late and knock off No. 22 Roosevelt University on Saturday afternoon at the Cougar Soccer Complex.

THE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Spring Arbor 2, #22 Roosevelt 1

LOCATION: Cougar Soccer Complex

RECORDS: Spring Arbor 5-0-1, Roosevelt 3-2-1

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The beginning of the game was worst case scenario for head coach Nathan Miller and the Cougars as Roosevelt applied pressure early and often. Dominating the first half, it did not take the Lakers long to find the back of the net as forward Evan Trychta was on the receiving end of a Frankie Avila pass which gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute. Spring Arbor was fortunate to head into half with only a one goal deficit.
• After some much needed halftime adjustments, and a spirited conversation in the locker room from Coach Miller, the Cougars came out firing on all cylinders. Clearly inspired, Spring Arbor turned the momentum early as senior Adam Hunt found teammate, Roland Gibson, for the equalizer in the 50th minute.
• After nearly 40 minutes of back and forth play, Spring Arbor, for the second time in as many nights found pay dirt late. Gibson continued his great second half play as he flicked a ball far post and found the foot of freshman midfielder Jacob Crull, who volleyed the ball out of the air over an outstretched Laker keeper in the 86th minute. The late goal secured SAU's biggest win to date in this young season. 

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

• The Cougars win for the second time in as many nights on a goal scored in the 80th-plus minute.
• The SAU win tonight marked the first time in over a decade which the Cougars beat a ranked team at home.
• The Cougar Soccer Complex continues to prove to be too much for the opposition as Spring Arbor extends their home unbeaten streak to 15 games. Their last home loss came to top ranked Indiana Wesleyan in 2014.

FOR THE FOES

• Evan Trychta scored the lone goal for Roosevelt in the 14th minute.
• Frankie Avila and Evan Trychta were the only two Lakers to notch shots on goal. They had two apiece.
• Roosevelt dominated the first half as they outshot the Cougars 5-2. The Lakers also had three shots on goal and three corner kicks to the Cougars zero.

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH NATHAN MILLER

• "We are very proud of our guys for finishing strong like that. The first half was a disgrace to say the least, but it was outstanding to see them respond at halftime to control the match and eventually finish it off."
• "Roosevelt presented a different challenge than a lot of teams we've played, so showing the unity to solve some problems they threw at us was crucial."
• "I am very proud of some young guys who bounced back and performed under pressure for their teammates."

UP NEXT

The road does not get any easier for the Cougars as they travel to play No. 5 ranked Davenport University. The Panthers will host Spring Arbor on Wednesday, Sept. 14. The match is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. 

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