DALTON, Ga. – The Crusaders left it late to knock off Dalton State for their second win in three days.
 
An uneventful opening 15 minutes in Dalton, Ga. A Roadrunners side aware they were up against superior opposition sat in and tried to frustrate a Crusaders offense that had been scoring for fun. The best half of the opening 15 came from Christina Salmon as her one-on-one with the keeper was well saved by Brooke Alvarez in the Dalton net.
 
Dalton's resolute defending kept the Crusaders off the scoreboard for the first half. Carey were able to muster chances, as they recorded seven shots on goal in the first half but Alvarez was equal to all of them. Zalma Torres was the creative spark as she created Carey's two best chances of the half. Torres had a shot hit the post herself before creating a good chance for Esalenna Galekhutle who was unable to get the ball out from her feet and didn't get a clean contact on her shot as it trickled into Alvarez's grateful hands from six yards out.
 
Carey did not have to wait long in the second half to find the breakthrough. Five minutes in and Kokona Nishikawa broke the deadlock. Great pressing from Lesley Vasquez as the Roadrunners tried to play out from the back allowed her to tackle the defender. Vasquez then drove forward and squared the ball for Nishikawa to tap in at the near post.
 
Five minutes later and the Roadrunners equalized. A Ria Cox corner missed the first group of players at the near post and fell to the feet of Molly Duncan. Duncan gratefully took the opportunity to tap the ball in from a couple yards out and even the game at one.
 
The Crusaders dominated the next portion of the game, winning corners and testing Alvarez in the Dalton net. With the game level again, the Roadrunners sat behind the ball and aimed to make things difficult for the Crusaders and looked to try and hit them on the counter.
 
Carey kept knocking on the door and eventually Dalton had to answer. It would be Rocio Fernandez to knock down the door and score what would prove to be the game winner. Livia Pertl received the ball from a throw deep on the right-hand side. Pertl's cross skipped just over the head of Virginia Mesa and the challenging defender and found Fernandez unmarked at the back post who slotted the ball into the net.
 
With Dalton looking for an equalizer, they had pushed numbers forward looking to tie the game from a free kick. It was the clearance from this free kick that allowed Galekhutle to put the icing on the cake. Galekhutle picked up the clearance 20 yards inside her own half, strode forward unopposed 50 yards, dribbled between two defenders, and rifled the ball high into the net to seal the game.
 
The Crusaders are back in action Wednesday,, October 16^th as they travel to take on Point in SSAC action.