WICHITA, Kan. – Teddy Miranda's second half strike sent the Crusaders into the semifinal of the NAIA National Tournament Thursday afternoon.
 
The Crusaders looked to put the pressure on early. Carey possessed the ball in dangerous areas of the field in the opening 10 minutes but were unable to take advantage.
 
Despite the early period of possession, it looked like the Eagles would have the first chance of the game from the penalty spot. 12 minutes in and Pol Mur picked the ball up on the right-hand side and drove inside the Carey penalty area. Mur took a touch past Josh Salas, stuck his foot out to make contact, and went to the ground. The referee blew his whistle, and all eyes were on him to see his decision. The referee saw that it was Mur that instigated the contact and awarded the free kick to the Crusaders for simulation.
 
Carey's best chance of the half came midway through the half. Caoimhin McConnell's shot from the edge of the box looked destined for the bottom left-hand corner and was only denied by the sliding block of Luis Vergara.
 
OKU began to take control of possession and the game. Mur involved again, sent a cross into the box that found the unmarked Matheus Ulrich. Fortunately for the Crusaders the ball was played slightly behind Ulrich, and he couldn't make good contact with the ball.
 
Despite the Eagles period of dominance, Carey's defense stood strong and were quick to snuff out any attack the Eagles tried to muster. Henry Hampshaw stayed vigilant in goal and proved a match for anything the Eagles could throw his way.
 
A smart turn from Mur led to a 3v1 against the Carey backline. Mur slipped in Joao Neves but slightly overhit it. This allowed Hampshaw to come sprinting off his line and dive at the feet of Neves allowing him to make the crucial save.
 
With three minutes left in the first half, Giovani Soares thought he had put the Crusaders ahead. Rico Duggan's in swinging freekick from wide right found the run of Soares who got his outstretched toe on the ball and turned the ball into the back of the net. The assistant referee unfortunately had his flag up and denied the goal for offside.
 
The second half was back and forth with both teams looking for that go-ahead goal. Both teams went through good spells of possession but neither team were able to create any clear-cut chances. The Eagle's best chance was a blocked shot from Julian Tovar and the Crusaders' a header wide from Kolby Godbolt.
 
With 13 minutes left on the clock, Teddy Miranda proved to be the hero for the Crusaders as he tapped in the game winner. McConnell picked up an Eagle clearance, and from 25 yards out, took aim at goal. He fired his effort straight at the gloves of Marko Rodic who couldn't hold on to the shot. Billy Boag followed in on the shot and got to the ball first. Boag toe poked the ball away from the scrambling Rodic and into the path of Miranda who tapped into the empty net.
 
"It was an amazing moment" said Miranda when asked about his game winner. "I'm so proud of this team, I'm so grateful to my teammates and this coaching staff"
 
With 10 minutes to go and OKU behind, the Eagles went in search of an equalizer. Carey stood firm at the back and ran themselves into the ground to deny any hopes of an Eagles goal. McConnell covered every blade of grass as he ensured the Crusader's ran out with the win and booked their place in the NAIA National Semifinal.
 
"Boys have been amazing again" said Coach Barry Farrell. "I can't say enough on our performances so far. I'm just so proud. We will look forward to playing in the final 4 of the national tournament now."
 
When asked about his thoughts on the upset, Miranda said  "we have high standards, we think this team can be champions. We're going to celebrate right now and then keep working."
 
The Crusaders will now take on the winner of William Penn & Mobile in Saturday's semifinal. That game will get underway December 7^th at 4 PM.