BOXSCORE

NAMPA, Idaho - A late first half goal powered the Western Washington University men's soccer team past the Crusaders 1-0 on Thursday afternoon at the NNU Soccer Field.

Scoring his first collegiate goal with seven seconds left in the opening half, Steven Hughes gave the Vikings (2-3-0, 1-1-0) a 1-0 lead on a shot from 15-yards out that found the top corner after deflecting off an NNU defender.

"I'm very proud of our effort today.  I feel we put in a winning performance in nearly every aspect," commented NNU head coach Coe Michaelson.  "But they hit a great goal while we managed to hit the post and crossbar twice.  With that said, credit to them, they worked very hard and defended very hard to preserve their lead for the last 30 minutes."

Michaelson continued, "As frustrated as we are, I believe in the guys and if we continue to play like that, with just a little luck we will be right back on track."

The Crusaders (3-3-1, 0-3-0) outshot the Vikings 8-5 and held a commanding 7-0 edge in corner kicks.

NNU goalkeeper Zander Engeman and WWU's Keegan Rogers each had two saves.

NNU will return to the pitch on Saturday afternoon, hosting Simon Fraser University in a GNAC counter at 3:00 p.m.