Saints Battle Hard but Fall Short Against Madonna

Notre Dame, Ind. — The Holy Cross College men's soccer team put in a gritty performance on Wednesday evening at Saints Field, but ultimately came up just short in a 3-2 loss to Madonna University.

The Saints struck first when Cesar Vela opened the scoring in the 39th minute, finishing off a setup from Eric Johnson. Less than a minute later, Vela doubled the lead with his second of the night, assisted by Nathan Sanchez, putting Holy Cross up 2-0 and sending the Saints into a frenzy.

Madonna responded quickly, however, with two goals from Madonna before halftime to level the match 2-2. Despite strong defending and several key saves from goalkeeper Logan Kelly, who recorded two stops on the night, the Crusaders found the game-winner in the 66th minute.

The Saints continued to push forward, earning multiple late corners and creating chances, but were unable to find the equalizer.

Vela's brace highlighted the Saints' offensive effort, while Sanchez and Johnson each tallied an assist. On the defensive end, Sanchez, Anthony Cruz, Diego Blount, and Tristan Alfaro anchored the back line, battling against a Madonna attack that finished with 8 total shots.

Holy Cross (0-1-0) will look to bounce back in their next matchup as they continue non-conference play on Saturday at Huntington University. Kick off is set for 12pm.