Box Score




NAMPA, Idaho — Ryan Foo put a weary, worn-out Crusader team on his back for 100 minutes Saturday until teammate Michael Mollay finally paid off his goalkeeper's hard work.

Foo made 10 saves in goal, including a diving stop on a penalty kick, earning his second shutout of the season and the win as Mollay's goal 41 seconds into the second OT gave the Northwest Nazarene men's soccer team a dramatic 1-0 victory over Western Washington in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play at Finkbeiner Park on the NNU campus.

"I'm excited for the guys," NNU head coach Joel DeLass said. "We definitely did not deserve this game, Western Washington was better than us for however many minutes we played.

"Just thankful we are able to find a way to get a win there."

Western Washington certainly dominated in terms of possession and shots, outshooting NNU, 26-10.

But Foo was up to the challenge, turning aside 10 shots on goal.
 

Of course, no save was larger than with 21:30 left on the clock in the second half when Luke Olney took a penalty kick, blasting a low shot toward the left of the Crusader net.

Foo dove, made the same, then quickly jumped back on his feet only to see a rebound chance by Nick Phillips go wide left.

"Definitely we wouldn't be here without him," DeLass said of Foo. "He's been there for us all season.

"Hats off to him."

While Foo made big save after big save, NNU (5-3-3 overall, 2-1-2 GNAC) also got a break from an offside call against the Vikings, which wiped out a goal 14 minutes into the second half.

Scoreless at the end of regulation, the Crusaders — coming off back-to-back double-overtime ties — found themselves headed into a fourth straight overtime, yet kept battling despite being weary.

All NNU's efforts paid off in the opening seconds of the second overtime as Ebu Camara sent a centering pass to Michael Mollay at the top of the Vikings goal box.

Mollay turned against a pair of WWU defenders and fired a shot just inside the left post, setting off a victorious Crusader celebration.

"Hats off to the whole group, fourth overtime game and to grind away and find a way to win was great," DeLass said.

The grind-it-out win proved huge for NNU, which with the victory vaulted into second place alone in the GNAC standings as the Crusaders prepare for another crucial contest at Montana State Billings next Saturday at 3:30 p.m.