Notables
-Davidson-Hunt reached a new career-high in shutouts with his sixth Saturday afternoon
-CSS has now won 63 consecutive regular season home conference games
-Marks the 18th UMAC title in program history
-The Saints have now won 28 straight against the Vikings
DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The College of St. Scholastica men's soccer team clinched its eighth consecutive conference title Saturday afternoon, defeating the Bethany Lutheran College Vikings by a score of 4-0 at Malosky Stadium on Senior Day.
First Half
It was a tale of two different stories on the year as the Saints and Vikings met Saturday afternoon, with the Saints having a very successful year in the UMAC at 10-1-1 entering the day and Bethany finding themselves winless at 0-9-2.
Nonetheless, the Saints didn't find much of a lead at the end of the first half as they only led by a score of 1-0.
The first 15 minutes of the half were exciting for the Saints, with two corner kick opportunities and two header chances, but failed to convert on any as the score remained 0-0.
Sam Brickley (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) would be the one responsible for the goal, coming in the 19th minute off a crossing pass from
Darby Henderson (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS).
There wouldn't be much action after the Brickley goal, as the Saints were held to just two shots the rest of the half while Bethany was stopped cold with zero attempts.
Second Half
After a shot from Brickley went wide and a
Luke Buckton (Bath, England/Writhlington School) attempt went high, the two connected for the second goal of the game in the 57th minute. Brickley netted his second of the game, this time with Buckton crossing one over the middle.
Five minutes later Buckton recorded his second assist of the half, this time finding Henderson for his sixth goal of the season.
The Saints were held in check for the next 20 minutes, but with under two minutes remaining in the game Henderson knocked in his second of the game on a breakaway to give the Saints the 4-0 victory.
The win marks the 18th conference championship in program history, and the eighth straight for the Saints. They will have the No. 1 seed heading into next week's postseason tournament.
Senior Day
The Saints honored two seniors on Senior Day as
Sandy Davidson-Hunt (Kenora, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas) and
Jacob Carson (Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley HS) played their last regular season game in a St. Scholastica uniform, with Davidson-Hunt earning his sixth shutout of the season in the process.
Up Next
The Saints will now wait patiently to see who they play in the first round of the conference tournament, as the University of Minnesota Morris and Martin Luther College will play in a first round game Monday to determine who plays the No. 1 seeded Saints. The match is set to start at 1:30 p.m. on Saints Field on Wednesday.
