Crusaders ready for opportunity in state quarterfinals

After a dominating run through the Class 1 District 1 Tournament, the Saxony Lutheran Crusaders will try to keep it going on Saturday in the Class 1 State Quarterfinal against the Metro Panthers.

The Crusaders were the No. 1 seed in Class 1 District 1 and they cruised to a 9-1 win over Kelly in the semifinals and an 8-0 win over Gateway Science Charter in the championship game.

“We were patient in front of the goal,” Crusaders coach Chris Crawford said. “Scoring has been something that we’ve had an issue with all year. We can play defense with the best of them but our scoring hasn’t quite been there but we’ve really focused on it.”

As Saxony Lutheran prepares for Saturday’s quarterfinal match, Crawford is feeling good. The Crusaders have won six of their last seven games.

“I feel like we’re in a really good spot,” Crawford said. “We’ve had a couple of really good practices this week. We’re starting to really fire on all cylinders and the girls are mentally focused and prepared. We just hope that we can carry some good momentum going into Saturday.”

Crawford said the pressure of the postseason is the biggest difference from the regular season.

“When there’s a chance to be sent home and not play again with the team that you have, it’s a little bit more pressure,” Crawford said. “There’s a little bit more of an edge to people. Everybody wants to keep the season going and so there’s just a little bit more anxiety around everything.”

While Saxony posted 17 goals across the two district games, Crawford said scoring a bunch of goals can’t be the expectation in a state game.

“We’ve got some good ideas on how to break (Metro) down,” Crawford said. “We’re going to hope that we can execute them and put the balls away that we get opportunities to.”

Crawford said his team is ready for the opportunity to host a state quarterfinal game.

“They’re incredibly excited,” Crawford said. “It’s not very often that you get to host a state quarterfinal game. Not a whole lot of teams ever get to a state quarterfinal, much less get to play on their home field. We’re super excited.”

The matchup between the Metro Panthers and the Saxony Lutheran Crusaders (11-8) is set to begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 27, at Saxony Lutheran High School.