SEATTLE, Wash. – In a tied game that seemed to have been moving towards overtime,
Stephen Murray punched in a late goal in the 88
th minute to lift the Saints to a 2-1 victory over Seattle Pacific on Wednesday night.
Saint Martin's (1-1-1) grabbed the lead quickly just two minutes into the game, but Seattle Pacific (0-1-0) answered back with a goal down the stretch of the first half to tie up the game. With many opportunities from both teams to take the lead again, it was finally Saint Martin's who managed to score to take the final lead 2-1 for the road victory.
The Saints were outshot 14-9; however, when they had chances, they made them count.
Saint Martin's was the first to get on the scoreboard in the first half, from a goal off senior
Jason Fairhurst who kicked the ball into the middle of the net after drawing the SPU goalkeeper out of the goal. The ball was brought 20 yards down the field by senior defender,
Jose Marquez, followed by freshman
David Settle who headed it towards Fairhurst for a double assist.
Later in the first half, Seattle Pacific tied up the game off a free kick into the lower left side of the net in the 16
th minute and the score held tied by halftime.
In the second half, the Saints had a goal opportunity when Marquez headed a ball towards the left side of the goal off a corner kick, but it wasn't enough to get past the keeper. Another opportunity arose when Fairhurst passed the ball to
Arjun Gill inside the box, but the shot was saved in the low middle of the box.
It wasn't until senior defender Murray took the lead again with a goal off a loose ball from a free kick with just two minutes left to play in the game. The Falcons were unable to respond, and the Saints took home their first victory of the season.
Hunter Askland faced 14 shots, making three saves, and recorded all 110 minutes. Seven different Saints recorded shots for SMU, with five being on target. Fairhurst's goal marks his sixth career goal, while Murray's goal marks the first of his career.
The Saints return home for a two game homestand against Pacific Lutheran. The first matchup will be Wednesday, March 31 at 3:00 p.m. with live stats and video available at smusaints.com.
