IRVINE, Calif.- History was made on the OC Great Park Soccer Stadium pitch as the sun began to set on Tuesday afternoon as the unseeded Madonna University men's soccer team got a golden goal off the right foot of Marlon De Freitas to send the Crusaders to a 1-0 overtime victory over No. 10 seed Bellevue University (Neb.).

The win in the 2018 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship second round is the first in program history at the final site where the Crusaders are now 1-2 all-time.

"I have a lot of fleeting emotions right now," said Crusaders sideline boss Mark Zathey. "I'm trying to keep them at bay and really reflect when this is all over, however, having some alumni here at the game and hearing from others has really given me a sense of pride for the way we presented our program both past and present as well as our University."

With wins against seventh-seed Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) and Bellevue, the Blue and Gold now set their sights on second-seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan, their opponent on Wednesday evening.

HERE'S HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams came out right away with high intensity, with 10 fouls in the first half between the teams. The Crusaders had the first real scoring opportunity about 10 minutes in, with a shot from Yuri Farkas Guglielmi that narrowly missed the bottom right corner after a quick counter. Bellevue nearly scored as well in the 25th minute, when a well hit cross flew across the goal to a man on the back post, but the shot was redirected wide of the net. With 17 shots in the opening 45, there were plenty of chances for both teams, but neither could capitalize.

The second half the Crusaders started to dominate the possession. Just two minutes in Leonardo Abonizio had an open shot on the right hand side of the box, but was saved well by the Bruins goalkeeper. Both teams tempers started to flare with three yellow cards in the second half. On a quick counter attack, Freitas nearly scored with 15 minutes left, but again was saved well by Bruins goalkeeper AJ Jarvis. The Blue and Gold earned five corner kicks and recorded 13 shots in the second half, but couldn't get the goal they needed as they ended regulation time tied at zero.

"We talked at halftime about needing to find a different way to break them down, getting in wide spaces and playing behind them and we were finally able to do that in the overtime," said Zathey.

Seventeen seconds was all the Crusaders needed to end the game in overtime. The Madonna offense took advantage of the Bruins' defensive lapse off the kickoff. Ludvick Asigo was able to corral a loose ball and played Farkas who was able to send the ball in behind the defense for Freitas to run on to and slot past the goalkeeper to the right hand side of the net to end the game 1-0.

"We usually play Marlon on the right side, but we noticed as he struck the ball with his right foot it was shaping away from the net, so we made the call to play him on the left side and he was able to shape the game winner around the keeper," added Zathey.

The Crusaders had the majority of the shots with 25 compared to the Bruins' 12, and maintained that lead with seven shots on goal to their four. Joe Smith made four saves to keep the clean sheet for the Blue and Gold, while Jarvis made six saves for Bellevue.

Up next for the Crusaders is No. 2 Oklahoma Wesleyan, who beat Corban 2-1 to advance to the quarterfinal. They will play at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27 to decide who will advance to the semifinals.

"After the game I told the guys how proud I was not only of this game but what they've given all year and how they've fought for one another. But I also talked to them about looking forward to the challenge ahead and getting our bodies in check. It was great to have Yuri talk to the guys about the fact that tomorrow's game is going to be about heart and laying it all on the line. With such a quick turnaround it's going to be able who wants it more."

"I got a chance to watch Oklahoma Wesleyan and they look every bit the No. 2 team in the country. We will be reaching deeper into our bench and will need to pick our spots when we push. I'm grateful we have our Athletic Trainer, Lisa Erickson, with us to help our guys recover as best we can. We are doing all we can to get our bodies back," said Zathey.

The NAIA Network – the association's official video-streaming home – will broadcast all final-site matches live in Irvine, Calif. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single-day passes can be purchased for $9.95 while an all-tournament package is available for $29.95.

There will be free live video of the game available in Take 5, the Franciscan Center and at Coaches Corner in Livonia, located at 19170 Farmington Road. Come support your Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. ET. 

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