Box Score

SEATTLE — Who exactly is the best team in the GNAC remains up in the air.

A battle of Top-25 teams for the early-season lead in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference went the distance without anything being resolved as the 22^nd-ranked Northwest Nazarene men's soccer team played to a scoreless draw at No. 3 Seattle Pacific late Thursday night.

"In the end a draw is the least that we deserve and a result we are happy to take home from a road game against one of the top teams in the nation," NNU head men's soccer coach Coe Michaelson said.

The Crusaders (5-1-1 overall, 1-0-1 GNAC) controlled play and outshot the host Falcons, 9-2, in the opening half, but couldn't crack SPU goalkeeper Cody Lang who has yet to allow a goal this season.

Lang continued that streak for the full 110 minutes on Thursday, making six saves.

But on the other end of the pitch, Crusader keeper Ryan Foo kept pace with Lang, making sure NNU had a chance to win with one score. Foo made three saves for his fourth shutout this season.

"For 75 minutes we were exceptional and so unfortunate not to be leading," Michaelson said. "As fatigue crept in we had to hang on a bit, as SPU is a very good team and started to create some issues for us late."

As the game went along, Foo became more important as SPU (5-0-1, 1-0-1) outshot NNU, 7-5, in the second half and 4-1 in the second overtime.

But the Falcons couldn't crack the Crusaders keeper, either, as both teams left the field with no winner decided.

The draw was the fifth between the two teams in the last eight meetings. The next meeting will be Oct. 24 in Nampa, Idaho, when NNU hosts SPU at 3 p.m.

But next up for the league co-leading Crusaders is another GNAC game at St. Martin's on Saturday at 1:15 p.m. (Mountain Time).