PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. – Freshman Cole Russell made his first collegiate goal a memorable one as he delivered the game-winner in the 73rd minute to help the No. 14 ranked Spring Arbor University men's soccer team stun No. 5 West Virginia Tech 4-2 at the Trinity Christian College Invitational on Saturday. 

THE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: #14 Spring Arbor 4, #5 West Virginia Tech 2

LOCATION: Schaaf Athletics Complex | Palos Heights, Ill.

RECORDS: Spring Arbor 2-0-0, West Virginia Tech 0-1-0

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Spring Arbor struck first in Saturday's Top 25 showdown with West Virginia Tech, which advanced all the way to the national quarterfinals a season ago. Janum Sailor notched his first goal of the season in the 11th minute to give the Cougars an early lead.
• West Virginia Tech leveled the match just before halftime, however, as Francisco Neto found the back of the net in the 40th minute.
• The Golden Bears pulled ahead 2-1 with an early second half goal, but Lewis Jones delivered the equalizer in the 59th minute.
• Russell put the Cougars ahead for good with his first career goal in the 73rd minute, and Morris Kamara put the game out of reach after converting a penalty kick with less than two minutes to play.
• SAU goalkeeper Isiah Handspike recorded four saves on the afternoon.
• Spring Arbor outshot West Virginia Tech 14-11 while the Golden Bears held a 6-2 edge in corner kicks.

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH NATHAN MILLER

• "I'm really happy for the boys and how much they worked to earn that result. The game was on a knife edge at halftime and they responded so well to things we needed to do to be successful."
• "Honestly, we didn't really play a great game for us. We pressed so well and grinded out a result. The finishes we had were top notch, and we finished the game really strong."
• "It's step one of a massively challenging four-game road trip and we look forward to attacking our next match Monday."

UP NEXT

Spring Arbor will wrap up play at the Trinity Christian Invitational on Monday, Aug. 28 with a match against the hosts, Trinity Christian, starting at 4 p.m. ET. Following the match, the Cougars will head south to Miami, Florida where they will meet Keiser University on Aug. 30 and Johnson & Wales University on Sept. 1.

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