HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Carey picked up a routine win as they strolled to victory over Central Baptist College 2-0 on a muggy Saturday night at Danny Owens Field.
 
Central Baptist came into this game having not scored a goal yet this season, to face a William Carey team that hasn't allowed a goal in it's previous three.
 
CBC came in with a game plan to sit in and frustrate the Crusaders. The Mustangs knew their best chances to get a result from the game were to hit the Crusaders on the counterattack and play for long balls into the box from set pieces.
 
Carey enjoyed the lion share of possession in the first half but found chances few and far between due to a resilient CBC side that were happy to sit in defensively. Carey's first chance came from an Elias Salminen long ball over the top to Luca Brandic down the right. Brandic drove at the CBC penalty area before squaring a ball to Rico Duggan on the penalty spot who pulled his effort wide.
 
Dennis Hamzic had two efforts at the spectacular in the space of four minutes. Two Marc Guerrero corners found Lewis Green at the back post who headed the ball back into the danger area. Hamzic saw his name up in lights as both times he attempted an overhead kick but couldn't get clean contact either time to test Jasper Gadellaa.
 
The breakthrough came in the 31^st minute from Daniel Mulero, two minutes after coming in. A long ball over the top found Milos Stajkovic on the left-hand side. Stajkovic brought the ball down on his chest as he drove past the defender before pulling the pass back to Felix Rocca. Rocca then knocked the ball on to Mulero who dropped the shoulder to send the defender the wrong way as he shifted the ball onto his favored right foot before firing low past Gadellaa.
 
Niall Lovelock thought he had doubled the Crusaders lead as he ran onto an excellent through ball from Marc Guerrero. Lovelock raced clear of the Mustang defense but was denied by point blank save from Gadellaa.
 
CBC came out a new team to start the second half. The Mustangs enjoyed the better of the opening ten minutes, making the most of sustained periods of possession. Despite enjoying the better part of the start to the second half, CBC couldn't break down Carey's solid defensive unit.
 
Both teams best chances of the opening to the second half came from distance. WCU's Lewis Green and CBC's Archie Woodall both tested their respective keepers but found their efforts easily saved.
 
With time winding down, the Crusaders put the game to bed. Leo Toro's cross from high on the right found a surging Stajkovic making a barnstorming run to the back post. Stajkovic met the cross on the half-volley, thundering his effort into the back of the net.
 
The Crusaders open their conference schedule Thursday, September 25^th as they host U.T. Southern. That game gets underway at 7:30 PM at Danny Owens Field.