Box Score
EUGENE, Ore. – On a night in which he became the all-time leader for Games Played in Northwest Christian University history, senior Alex Crossingham (pictured) scored two goals, guiding NCU to a 3-1 win over Walla Walla University on Sunday.
Things got off to a rough start for the Beacons as they gave up the first goal just nine minutes into the contest. Kevin Nateras took a through-ball from Jonathan Martinez and was left one-on-one vs. NCU keeper Nick Kratzke. A hard shot to the right corner found the back of the net for the go-ahead score.
The Beacons, however, responded quickly, scoring in the 13th minute. Juan Guitron found the ball at his feet in the middle of the field and after making a move past two defenders, fired a 20-yard strike off the glove of the Wolves keeper and into the net.
Things got interesting in the 37th minute when, for the second time in as many games, a red-card penalty forced the Beacons to play down a man. NCU would respond by not allowing another goal for the rest of the match while finding two more of their own in the second half.
Crossingham’s second game-winner of the season came just five minutes after the intermission when he headed home the ball off a 40-yard free-kick from freshman Josh Bramlett. The insurance goal came in the 80th minute when Crossingham dribbled himself past a number of defenders creating another one-on-one opportunity with the keeper. From ten yards out he fired the shot into the back of the net.
NCU (2-2) finished the night out-shooting Walla Walla 16-7 including a 10-4 margin in shots-on-goal. Kratzke finished with three saves and kept his season Goals Against Average right at 1.00.
Head Coach Brett Bentley said, “The most important thing tonight was to play our game, despite the disadvantage. We stuck to the tactics that we have been working on in practice and that really led to our success tonight.”
The Beacons have now closed out the preseason and embark on the treacherous road through the Cascade Collegiate Conference, beginning on the road in Portland against Warner Pacific University on September 13th. Scheduled for a 7:00 pm kick-off, the teams will face off at Douglas High School in Portland.