HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Crusaders punched their ticket to the semifinals of the SSAC Conference Tournament with a gritty 4–1 win over Thomas University.
 
"Proud of our boys today," said Head Coach Barry Farrell. "We managed to score four goals against a very solid Thomas defense. It was a very important win for us tonight, and very important that we made the semifinals. It was important that we were able to grind out the win."
 
It's usually in the postseason where you find out who the good and the very good teams are—the pressure of knowing a bad performance or a bad result can end your season.
 
Carey rose to the challenge and was able to handle the pressure that the postseason brings. The Crusaders' first look at goal came off a set piece. Joshua Salas sent a free kick deep into the Thomas penalty area. Kameron Kirksey came out to claim the high ball that looked destined for Lewis Green's head. Kirksey couldn't gather the ball but got enough contact on it to send it out for a corner.
 
Thomas enjoyed spells early in the game and throughout the half, with many of their best chances coming from long shots and set pieces. Camilo Penafiel caught the Crusaders being careless in possession. Penafiel spotted Jamie Barry off his line and tried the spectacular, aiming to catch Barry out from 50 yards. Thankfully for the Crusaders, Penafiel's effort sailed harmlessly wide.
 
Eleven minutes into the game, Carey had the chance to go ahead from the penalty spot after Pedro Sao Tiago was brought down inside the box. Daniel Mulero waited on the penalty spot with the ball, trying to draw any mind games the Night Hawks might try to play. Mulero eventually handed the ball to Santiago Molina, who took care of the rest as he buried his penalty to the left-hand side. Kirksey guessed the right way but was unable to get a hand on Molina's strike.
 
The game continued to go back and forth without either team able to assert its dominance. That was until an excellent Tiago strike doubled the Crusaders lead. Molina played a light pass toward Tiago that looked like it was about to be intercepted. Tiago's reaction and explosiveness allowed him to just toe the ball away from the defender. He touched the ball inside and then rifled his effort home from 25 yards out, giving Kirksey no chance in goal.
 
The remainder of the half followed suit, with neither team able to establish itself as the dominant side. Carey, however, crafted the better opportunities and made the Night Hawks pay. Thomas was limited to shots from distance and set pieces for large parts of the opening 45 minutes.
 
Whatever Head Coach Billy Jeffery said to his team at halftime proved effective, as Thomas came out firing and looked the better team for large parts of the second half.
 
TU got its first real chance at goal in the 50th minute after Carey got caught in possession. Thomas worked the ball to Diego Saenz at the top of the Carey box. Saenz slipped in William Nye, but he mishit his effort and the ball trickled into Barry's hands.
 
Despite Thomas' dominance to open the second half, Carey managed to extend its lead against the run of play. Tiago curved his well-timed run to stay onside as he ran onto a pass from Mulero. Kirksey came rushing out of his goal and got to the ball first, but his clearance cannoned off one of his own defenders and fell to the feet of Tiago. The Carey forwards all showed excellent composure, moving the ball from Tiago to Molina and eventually to Mulero to slot home. It would've been easy to force an early shot with the keeper out of the goal, but the Crusaders worked the ball until they had the opening they needed for Mulero to slot home.
 
Thomas continued to dominate the second half and eventually got the goal it deserved in the 68th minute. An errant pass was intercepted by Edward Sack on the right-hand side. Sack drove across the field, dribbling past three Carey defenders before firing across goal and into the bottom right-hand corner. Carey gifted Thomas a lifeline back into the game.
 
Ten minutes later, Thomas returned the favor and gifted the Crusaders a goal of their own. A TU midfielder, attempting to play back to his defender, passed the ball straight to Molina. Molina produced a deft flick to find Teddy Miranda before running in behind the Thomas defense. Miranda played the ball straight into the path of Molina, who raced clear, showed excellent composure, and slotted the ball into the corner.
 
With the win, WCU advances to the semifinals of the SSAC Conference Tournament in Montgomery, Ala. The Crusaders will play the winner of Faulkner University and the University of Mobile. That game is scheduled for Thursday, November 6, at 7 p.m.