NAMPA, Idaho – Brian Licona's goal in the 82nd minute lifted Saint Martin's to a 4-3 road victory against Northwest Nazarene Thursday night at the NNU Soccer Field.
 
It was the third time this season that Saint Martin's (2-3-1) faced Northwest Nazarene (3-2-1), but unlike the last two, the Saints came out victorious.
 
"Our players' performance tonight was significant, and they absorbed the pressure from NNU who has some good players. We had some good attacking opportunities that we converted, and the fact that we had two freshmen that accounted for three of the goals tonight was outstanding," said head coach Rob Walker.
 
Saint Martin's went on the offensive early and scored a goal in the 16th minute, by Arjun Gill who collected on a long pass from David Settle. Gill beat past the goalie to hit the back of the net for the first goal of the game and the first of his career.
 
After NNU responded with a goal just two minutes later, the Saints moved ahead again in the 26th minute when Caden Martin got ahold of a deflected ball in the box and fed the bottom left of the net.
 
The Saints held the advantage 2-1 into the second half, but the Nighthawks answered early with a goal to equalize the game. SMU grabbed the lead once again from a cross from Isaac Hernandez to just the outside of the box where Gill struck again with another goal to the back of the net.
 
Northwest Nazarene continued their fight and kept the game going with their third equalizer goal of the game. However, Saint Martin's sealed the victory with its fourth goal of the contest coming in the 82nd minute by Licona for his first Saint Martin's career goal, off another assist from Settle.
 
"We were a little concerned that our form was off from last Friday where our performance not up to par. This was a good character moment from the boys and I am proud of them. This is a bright spot for us because we were missing this last week, and we plan to bring the momentum onto our next game on Saturday," said Walker.
 
Licona led the team with four shots. Settle recorded all two assists for the Saints to move him to lead the team in points with five, while Gill marked his first two goals of the season and as a Saint. Hunter Askland faced 15 shots from the Nighthawks, making three saves.
 
The Saints have a quick turnaround facing Northwest Nazarene this Saturday, April 10 at 10:00 a.m. Live stats and video will be available at smusaints.com.