LACEY, Wash. – Griffin Small and the Saints' back line, supported by a first goal from Brandon Madsen, blanked the Cavaliers to complete the season sweep of Concordia and improved their win streak to three matches.
 
A long ball from Cayman John, connected with a cutting Madsen in the middle of the box for his seventh goal of the season in the 38th minute. The goal was all the Saints' defense would need as they fought off the constant pressure by Concordia, 20 shots, with nine saves to preserve the clean sheet. The shutout marked the first since September 6 against CSU Dominguez Hills, 1-0.
 
Concordia had an opportunity to pounce on the Saints, receiving a penalty kick in only the eighth minute. Paul Seydel beat Small, but his shot to the right post bounced off the post and SMU survived the threat. Madsen created a couple opportunities in the first half, including a shot saved by Grant Alcorn in the 18th minute. It wasn't until the 38th minute, when a ball 20 yards out of the box by John, found Madsen in the middle of the box. Madsen punched home his team-leading seventh goal and put SMU on the board. The Cavaliers had another chance in the same minute, with a ball hitting off of the post.
 
In the second half, the Saints had the early offensive pressure, taking three shots in the first 15 minutes. The Cavaliers would control the offensive tempo for the final 30 minutes of the match. Concordia recorded 12 shots in the last third of the match, with one hitting off the crossbar and another off the post. Despite the pressure, the Saints and Small made six saves and finished off the shutout and victory at 1-0.
 
"Today's game was near masterclass from Concordia," said head coach Rob Walker. "Their game plan in both halves was well designed and kept us off our front foot. For us, we had some opportunities to open up the Concordia defense and we missed the mark on a couple of good occasions.   But, Cayman John's far post cross to Brandon Madsen was a real piece of quality.   Our back four did a good job of handling the 'kitchen sink' that Concordia threw at us in the second half. All in all, we started a little run last week at Concordia and I have to give our guys on the field and on the bench full credit for getting us through today."
 
Five of the Saints' 12 shots came from the foot of Madsen, followed by three for Alexis Lopez. Four different Saints recorded one shot in the match. Small completed his second shutout of the season, finishing with six saves, three saves by the team for a total of nine saves.
 
The Saints hit the road, traveling north to Western Washington for a match on Thursday, October 18 at 4:00 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on smusaints.com.