SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – A goal in the 84th minute from Jacob Crull lifted the No. 15 ranked Spring Arbor University men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over No. 6 Madonna University at the Cougar Soccer Complex on Saturday night.

The win improved to the Cougars to 4-1-1 on the season while the Crusaders, who advanced to the national semifinals a year ago, suffered their first loss, falling to 3-1-1 overall.

THE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: No. 15 Spring Arbor 1, No. 6 Madonna 0

LOCATION: Cougar Soccer Complex | Spring Arbor, Mich.

RECORDS: Spring Arbor 4-1-1, Madonna 3-1-1

HOW IT HAPPENED

• For nearly 90 minutes, Spring Arbor and Madonna were deadlocked with both teams creating chances, but no one able to find the back of the net.
• However, the Cougars were finally able to break through in the 84th minute when the reigning Crossroads League Player of the Year Jacob Crull skipped a shot past the Crusader goalkeeper. The play was set up by a long throw in by Aidan Taylor that Alex Sokalski flicked on to the back post where Crull was waiting.
• Spring Arbor finished the night with nine shots while Madonna collected eight. The Cougars also held a 7-0 advantage in corner kicks.
• SAU goalkeeper Christopher Banfi stopped four shots to record the shut out.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The win was the first over a Top 25 ranked team this season for Spring Arbor. The Cougars are now 1-1-1 against teams in the national polls in 2019.
• Spring Arbor also picked up just its second win over Madonna in the last three meetings. The Crusaders, however, hold a 4-2-1 record over the Cougars since 2011.
• The shutout was the fourth of the season for SAU, which is tied for the most in the NAIA. The clean sheet was also the third of the season for Banfi.

UP NEXT

Spring Arbor will close out the non-conference portion of its slate with a home match against Siena Heights University (3-3) on Wednesday, Sept. 18 starting at 7 p.m.

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