IRVINE, Calif.- It was yet another standout season for the Madonna University men's soccer team after battling through two tough games in West Virginia in the opening round and making it to the Round of 16 to face off once again against a higher-seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan at the OC Great Soccer Park on Tuesday. 
 
The match was close the entire game as the Crusaders took an early lead  and were able to hold the prolific Eagle offense scoreless in the first half. But three quick goals for the Eagles were the difference in the game as the final score saw the Crusaders fall 3-1.
 
The Crusaders finished the season with a record of 15-5-3 after making it into the tournament thanks to a runner-up finish in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament. The Eagles move on to the final eight with a 19-4 record and will face undefeated Columbia College (Mo.) which has a record of 22-0. 
 
The game started out in favor of the Crusaders with the game leaning towards a defensive battle for the first half as neither team was able to get going on offense with each team having one shot in the first 30 minutes of the match. 
 
In the 30th minute, the Crusaders were able to stop a scoring chance for the Eagles and got a run started by Leonardo Gois Abonizio when he kicked it upfront for Yuri Farkas Guglielmi who kicked the ball out in front for Bruno Piva de Castro and he played the ball on the end line and centered it out for Farkas which was misplayed but Rodrigo Castro de Siqueira was right there for the rebound and was able to beat the keeper for the lone goal of the first half. 

The best first-half scoring opportunity for the Eagles came in the 42nd minute when an Eagles midfielder played the ball into the box, but solid defense from Gian Marco Bevitori and Joe Smith kept the game in Madonna's favor by the score of 1-0.

The second half is when the tide turned as the Eagles started to play more physical and were able to get solid shots on counter runs after Madonna scoring opportunities that saw them tie the game and eventually put in the go-ahead and insurance goals all within 11 minutes. 
 
The Crusaders best scoring opportunity in the second half came on a free-kick from just outside the box when Breno Stapcinskas put a ball perfectly into the upper corner of the goal but a fantastic save from Eagle goalie Alex Vidizzoni gave the Eagles the counter run that they needed to tally their first goal of the game.
 
Bartlesville, Oklahoma program narrowly outshot the Blue and Gold 9-8 which included a tie in shots on goal at 5-5. The Eagles tallied eight corner kicks to the Crusaders four while OKWU was called for 13 of the game's 20 fouls.
 
Pacing the Crusaders' offense was Siqueira with three shots, two on frame, while Stapcinskas and Castro both recorded two shots and Farkas added one shot.
 
Smith, who has been the anchor on the defensive side of the ball for the Crusaders throughout the season that only allowed 14 goals in the entire season, made two saves on the day.
 
The loss ends the careers for one of the most successful senior classes in program history, that made the NAIA tournament a total of three times in their four years in the program, as the Crusaders say goodbye to seven seniors, Carlos Rivas, Collin Branigan, Siqueira, Farkas, Ramiro Sauceda, Anthony Wells and Smith.  
 
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