KIRKLAND, Wash. – The Northwest defense had no answer for Jason Fairhurst, as he scored two goals in the second half, combined with goals from Caymon John and Oscar Aguilar, the Saints routed the Eagles 4-2 in an exhibition match on Saturday.
 
John marked the only goal in the first half, scoring in the 15th minute, his first goal of the preseason. The Saints' defense managed to shut out the Eagles' offense in the first 45 minutes, stopping six shots with two saves.
 
The Saints quickly widened the gap in the second half as Fairhurst connected in the 60th and 68th minute to put the Saints up 3-0. Aguilar provided the final blow in the 4-2 victory his first goal of the preseason in the 87th minute.
 
The Saints recorded eight shots, with six landing on goal, and four reaching the back of the net. Griffin Small made two saves in the first half and Dylan Shaw was responsible for four saves in the second half.
 
"We had some great moments of good ball movement," said head coach Rob Walker. "The first half, Northwest was really good at putting us under pressure and getting behind us. The men did a great job in the second half with defensive positioning and that made a big difference and made us more efficient. Jason Fairhurst, Oscar Aguilar and Caymon's (John) goal were all well taken and I was very pleased."
 
The match against Northwest concludes the Saints' preseason schedule as SMU will travel to Nampa, Idaho for the opening week of the regular season next week. The Saints will face off against Westminster on 8/30 at 10:00 a.m. to begin the year.