Box Score    Final Stats

SEATTLE – Marshall Hartley's 23rd-minute goal Thursday fueled a 1-0 first round win over Simon Fraser and propelled Northwest Nazarene into a West Regional semifinal date with No. 1 seed Seattle Pacific in the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament at Interbay Stadium.

The fourth-seeded Crusaders (15-3-1) advanced into the second round in their inaugural playoff appearance. The current winning streak stretched to five games and their school single-season record win total increased to 15.

No. 5 seed Simon Fraser (11-5-2) had its season end much earlier than usual after advancing to the national semifinals in each of the last two years.

NNU controlled the run of play early in the first half, but it took a quick counter attack from its own end to get on the scoreboard.

Fredy Razo intercepted the ball near midfield and fed it to the right flank for Julio Castillo, who immediately delivered a through pass that freed Harltey in the box. Hartley touched the ball to his left, around onrushing goalkeeper Brandon Watson, and slipped a 15-yard shot into the open goal at 22:27 for his second score of the season.

"I was isolated and it was a great collective team effort. I really had the easiest job," Hartley described. "Fredy and Julio did a great job getting the ball back and forth.

"Lucky for me, I was isolated on that left flank. I made the right run, Julio gave me a great ball. It was easy to tap it by the goalie and just slide the ball in."

Prior to Hartley's successful strike, the Crusaders had several early chances that narrowly missed. Castillo had a 12-yard shot from the left side of the box carom off the crossbar in the sixth minute. Three minutes later Erik Anderson hit a low 13-yard blast that was smothered at the right post on a dive by Watson.

Despite taking the first six shots of the game, NNU owned only a slim 7-6 edge in attempts by halftime.

"We told the guys at halftime that one of the keys to the second half was to weather the storm because it's going to be coming," Crusaders coach Coe Michaelson said. "These guys are the only team that has played in the last two Final Fours, and they are going to go down kicking and screaming and fighting.

"And they did. They put a lot of pressure on us for a period of time, just like we did in the first half. The difference is, we got a goal to show for our efforts and held strong."

The Clan dominated the second half, outshooting NNU 9-1 after intermission. Their best opportunity came in the 70th minute when a loose ball found Mateo Espinosa open in the box. His 12-yard shot was deflected by the foot of goalkeeper Alfredo Ontiveros, who sprawled low to block the attempt.

SFU's final shot of the game was a dangerous one. Off a cross from the left side, Joel Malouf volleyed a 14-yard shot from the center of the box that carried just high of the target with 5:17 left to play.

"If we played like we played like the last 60 minutes for the full 90 minutes, we would have won tonight," said Clan coach Alan Koch. "We just didn't show up for the first 30 minutes for whatever reason. There's no real excuse for that. That's the way the game goes. You have to show up and play for 90 minutes to get a result in a big game."

Ontiveros stopped three shots for NNU en route to his ninth shutout of the season.

Watson was credited with four saves for Simon Fraser, which outshot the Crusaders 15-8 for the game.

Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion Seattle Pacific and runner-up NNU will meet on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Seattle for their third clash this season.

The Crusaders dealt SPU its lone loss, getting a 1-0 decision on Oct. 30 in Nampa, Idaho on a 26th-minute penalty kick by Razo. The Falcons were victorious in the first encounter, beating NNU 1-0 at Interbay Stadium on Oct. 11.

"Both teams know each other very well," Michaelson said of SPU. "In the last six encounters, there have been two goals, both off set pieces, no goals from the run of play. These are always tight matches.

"Both teams have a period of time where they have the run of play. The key will be for the period of time we're on top, making sure we find that goal. And when they're having their go at us, making sure we stand strong and show that grit we showed today."

Making its fourth consecutive playoff appearance, and 34th overall, SPU had a first-round by while hosting its league rivals. The Falcons are in pursuit of their sixth men's soccer national championship, and the first since 1993.

If the SPU men win on Saturday, they will serve as the home team for the West Region championship game on Thursday, Nov. 20 and the national quarterfinal contest on Nov. 22.


NCAA MEN'S SOCCER
Division II Tournament – 1st Round
Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.

(#4) Northwest Nazarene 1, (#5) Simon Fraser 0

Scoring – 1, NNU Marshall Hartley (Julio Castillo, Fredy Razo), 22:27.

Shots – SFU 15, NNU 8.
Saves – SFU 4 (Brandon Watson), NNU 3 (Alfredo Ontiveros).
Corner Kicks – SFU 4, NNU 5.
Fouls – SFU 20, NNU 12.
Offsides – SFU 0, NNU 0.

Records:
Simon Fraser 11-5-2
Northwest Nazarene 15-3-1

Next Men's Soccer Game
Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, Nov. 15, 7:00 p.m.
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.