Box Score



NAMPA, Idaho — Inches away.

A foul on the edge of the goal box. A penalty kick banging off the crossbar.

The Crusaders were just inches away from the upset, but instead the Northwest Nazarene men's soccer team fell 2-1 to visiting and ninth-ranked Seattle Pacific in a clash for first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference on Saturday at Finkbeiner Park on the NNU campus.

"That's a difficult one to take," said NNU head men's soccer coach Coe Michaelson. "These games happen, games can turn in soccer on these moments that don't always reflect the game.

"In the end, you've got a penalty against us, an own goal, and a penalty missed for us and we're walking away shaking our heads going, what just happened?"

It all happened in an action-packed second half between the GNAC's two top teams, two teams that had played to a draw five times in their previous eight meetings, including a scoreless tie a month ago.
 

But after 170 minutes of scoreless soccer between the teams this season, the first goal came when Gabe Kellum got behind the NNU defense and had a chance to score.

Kellum's kick eluded Crusader keeper Ryan Foo, and got dangerously close to the goal-line, but didn't crossed it until an NNU player raced in and trying to clear the ball, instead booted into the net.

The Falcons then got a break — one of those inches away moments — as Ian Adams was tripped up on the corner of the NNU goal-box, drawing a penalty kick.

Danny Olivas took the kick and booted it home, putting the Crusaders (10-5-1 overall, 6-4-1 GNAC) in a deep 2-0 hole with 21:51 remaining on the game clock.

Determined not to lose, NNU rallied quickly as a frenzied attack paid off when Julio Castillo's shot was blocked, but Michael Mollay was right there to blast home the rebound for the Crusaders.

Seemingly knowing the equalizer would come, NNU came on in wave after wave offensively, a charge SPU (11-1-3, 7-1-3) held off until 5:54 remained when Crusader defender Jan Ilskens was charging forward for a ball and he was taken down in the Falcon goal-box.

With a chance to tie the game with a penalty kick, instead NNU came up inches away yet again as Castillo's shot banged off the crossbar, and SPU escaped with the 2-1 victory.

Ryan Foo made three saves in goal for the Crusaders, who outshot the Falcons, 16-7, in the contest.

NNU looks to rebound next week as the Crusaders play their final two home games of the 2015 season, hosting Western Washington on Thursday at 4 p.m., and Simon Fraser for "Senior Day" on Saturday at 3 p.m.