Crusaders claim third with win over Bishop LeBlond

FENTON - After a crushing loss in the semifinals, the Saxony Lutheran Crusaders responded on Saturday morning.

The Crusaders beat the Bishop LeBlond Eagles 2-1 to claim third place in the Class 1 State Tournament at World Wide Technology Soccer Park.

It was clear early the Crusaders had shown up to play as they had multiple chances offensively in the opening minutes.

“You love to see that,” Crusaders coach Chris Crawford said. “Third-place games are hard to get up for because you have the disappointment of not getting to play for a state championship but you’re still playing for a place. We talked before we came up here and we said if we don’t get two wins we’re at least getting one.”

Saxony’s Abby Haley would break the scoreless tie in the waning moments of the first half as she found herself alone in the box and buried a shot to make it 1-0.

“Abby is an absolute monster,” Crawford said. “She’s fast. She’s still figuring out how to shoot because she literally just started playing soccer the first day (of practice) this year.”

While the Crusaders held a 1-0 lead at the half, the Eagles had a quick answer just over six minutes into the second half to tie the game at 1-1.

“I think in the second half we came out scared to lose the lead a little bit,” Crawford said. “We were on our heels, and we’ve done that in the past. It’s not something we make a habit of but we have had it happen. After (the goal) it kind of woke us up where we realized we might lose this game and then we kicked it into gear.”

With the halfway point of the second half looming, Maggie Hillin launched a shot from the top of the box that snuck under the crossbar and in to give the Crusaders a 2-1 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

“Maggie played in the past and then came back to us,” Crawford said. “She’s as smooth as can be and she came up huge.”

Crawford credited his team for the way they responded to Friday’s loss to Villa Duchesne.

“They woke up at 5 a.m. for a 10 a.m. game,” Crawford said. “They knew what they had to do and they did it.”

Saxony Lutheran finishes the 2023 season with a third-place plaque in Class 1 and they finish the season with an overall record of 13-9.

The Crusaders will graduate two seniors in Ava Perry and Anna Mueller. The duo said they made sure to enjoy the final game of their career.

“We knew we only had 80 minutes together,” Mueller said. “I just told the girls to go out there, play loose and have fun.”