Box Score
Kissimmee, FL – Looking to advance to the national championship for the second time in three years, the Crimson Eagles were stopped dead in their tracks Saturday evening, falling to powerhouse and top-seeded Manhattan Christian College, 4-1.
PBU came into Saturday’s NCCAA II Semi-Final match-up knowing that their opponent could put up points. The high powered Crusader front line came into the contest ranked tops nationally in terms of offensive production throughout the year, putting up almost unheard of numbers after averaging nearly six goals and 15 total points per outing.
Saturday was no different.
Manhattan pumped in four goals on the afternoon in a 4-1 triumph, controlling the ball and the flow of the game for the entirety of the 90 minutes.
Junior midfielder Andrew Crandal led the way with two goals and two assists on the night to help stretch the defending NCCAA II National Champion’s win streak to 17 straight. The Crusaders have now outscored their opponents by a count of 138 to four during that dominant span.
PBU’s lone goal came in the 85th minute when senior Jeremy Dunham connected on a penalty kick to help the Crimson Eagles avoid the shutout loss. It marks his team-leading 13th goal of the year.
Sophomore keeper Andy Ecker managed five stuffs in goal as PBU was out shot 16-11 for the game.
The team will take on two-seeded Southeastern University Monday afternoon in a consolation match beginning at 1:30 pm. Southeastern has proved to be somewhat of a thorn in PBU’s side the last couple of years as the Fire have managed one goal wins in each of their last two outings, including a 1-0 victory in the NCCAA title bout two years ago.
