Saints Rally for 2-1 Victory Over Oakland City

Notre Dame, Ind. — The Holy Cross College men's soccer team secured their second win of the season with a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory over Oakland City University on Saturday afternoon at Saints Field.

Oakland City opened the scoring early in the first half to grab a 1-0 lead. Despite several attacking chances, the Saints went into halftime trailing.

The momentum shifted in the second half as Holy Cross turned up the pressure. In the 58th minute, Daniel Alfaro found the equalizer off an assist from Cung Thawng. Just 10 minutes later, Kai Lulic netted the game-winner with an unassisted strike, putting the Saints ahead 2-1.

Goalkeeper Isaias Rubio delivered a standout performance with 10 impressive saves, keeping the Saints in the match. Despite playing 10 minutes a man down, the Holy Cross defense stayed organized and resilient, holding strong to secure the victory, until the players were evened back out, ending the match up in a 10 v 10 situation. With the win, Holy Cross improves to 2-1 on the season! 

"We knew it was going to be a high intense and physical game. We started the game off slow, which allowed Oakland to gain confidence on the ball. I was proud of the effort the boys put in the 2nd half. We looked like a more confident and more disciplined team on the ball which allowed us to unbalance their defensive shape. Defensively, I also felt we denied them opportunities to play out of the back in the 2nd half which allowed us to win the long balls. It wasn't the prettiest win, but these are games we need to have so we can be prepared come conference play.

We'll enjoy the result, and start preparing for a very tough Bethel team" Head Coach Omar Gallo

Men's Soccer will be looking to continue their winning streak on Wednesday September 10th on Saints Field against crosstown rivals Bethel University. Kickoff is set for 7:30PM.