HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Crusaders put in a dominant performance on Saturday afternoon, as they knock off Faulkner 3-0 in their last SSAC home game of the season.
 
44 seconds. That's all it took for the Crusaders to get themselves on the scoreboard. Roberto Rangel played a long ball into the feet of Kolby Godbolt. Godbolt, twisting and turning inside the penalty area, beat his defender and fired low at the near post. His shot fired past Andre Ferreira and into the net to put the Crusaders up 1-0.
 
The game from there went back and forth with both teams threatening but neither keeper getting truly tested. Both teams were willing to commit fouls and turn the game gritty. Despite the physical nature of the game, the referee kept his cards in his pocket, allowing the game to flow and allowing both teams to play.
 
29 minutes and Carey had doubled their lead. A ball into the left channel had Billy Boag wrestling with the defender for possession. Boag won the battle, nutmegged the defender, and drove towards the goal line. Boag got his head up and spotted the run of Milos Stajkovic. Boag put the cross on a plate for Stajkovic who had nothing left to do but steer the ball into the net.
 
The game continued to follow the script ending the first half and starting the second. A physical game from both sides with the game going back and forth. Faulkner's best chances came from their free kicks into the penalty area. The Eagles put in some great deliveries that looked like they may cause the Crusaders some trouble, but the Carey defense stood firm, only allowing a single shot on target during the whole game.
 
With the clock running out, Faulkner were searching for a way back into the game and wanted to make the last 5 minutes interesting. However, with five minutes to go, it was Giovani Soares that would put the game to bed and seal the points for the Crusaders. A Djordje Djukovic corner was headed straight up in the air by the Eagles defender. The ball fell to Caoimhin McConnell on the corner of the six-yard box who struck the ball on the volley sweetly and fired it across goal. Just as the shot looked to be going wide, Soares ran in at the back post to tap in for the third goal and send Carey home with all three points.
 
The Crusaders are back in action on Monday, October 21, as they host Tougaloo on senior day. That game is set to get underway at 3 PM at Danny Owens Field.