LACEY, Wash. - Brandon Madsen connected for his 16th goal of the season in the 84th minute as the Saints' late second half rally fell short, 2-1, to Northwest Nazarene in the 2017 season finale.

The Saints (2-14-1, 2-9-1) started the match off with offensive pressure against the Nighthawks (8-6-3, 5-4-2). Steven Chu and McKray Kohn's shots both missed before Cayman John and Kyle Witzel recorded shots on goal.

However, the Nighthawks struck first in the 19th minute on goal from Jake Levine, after dribbling through multiple Saints' defenders. 

The Saints attempted to equalize the match in the first half with shots from Sebastian Navarro, Madsen and Witzel, yet none reached past the Nighthawks' keeper.

NNU looked to pull away in the second 45 minutes and managed to break through the Saints' defense in the 77th minute. Raphael Junquiera scored his fourth goal of the season on a break away run, 15 yards out.

After multiple shots by Kohn that were blocked, the Saints were awarded a free kick, 25 yards out on the near side. Navarro found Witzel in the middle of the box, who connected with Madsen for this 16th goal of the season in the 84th minute. 

The Nighthawks; however, withstood the Saints final attacks to seal the 2-1 victory.

"The players that came here to Saint Martin's are great young men," said head coach Rob Walker. "I'm disappointed they didn't walk off of our field with a win.   Like all of our Alums, they are special to us and now that they are winding their careers down, the finality of the final game is starting to set in. We have many fond memories of our time together and there is a real love between us. In a way, that is always a win."

The final match marked the end of seven Saints' playing careers. The Saints will return to the pitch in the 2018 season.