Madonna scored twice in a three-minute span on Wednesday afternoon and kept Lourdes off the scoreboard as the Crusaders downed the Gray Wolves 2-0 at the Madonna Athletic Complex in Livonia, Mich.
 
"We came out pretty flat defensively and gave them two early goals," head coach Matt Johnson said after the match.  "Madonna is such a well-organized team.  Given a lead, they are quite a tough team to unlock.  Our effort in the second half was better, but we just didn't have enough quality to find a goal.  Confidence is such a crucial piece of the puzzle, particularly for attacking players, and we just seem to be playing a little tight the last few games."
 
Issei Ito put Madonna on the scoreboard in the 20^th minute, scoring an unassisted goal which proved to be the match-winner.  Alexander Zaleczny followed 2:18 later, scoring on a goal with Andres Felipe drawing the assist.
 
The Crusaders outshot Lourdes 7-3 in the opening half and finished the match with a 16-9 shot advantage.  Madonna (7-2-2, 4-1-1 WHAC) also had a 7-6 edge in corner kick opportunities.
 
Igor Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Pentagono) made five saves in net for the Gray Wolves while Youssou Ouendeno made three stops for Madonna on his way to the shutout.
 
Lourdes (6-5-1, 1-3-1) remains on the road Saturday afternoon, heading to Washington Township, Mich. to face Rochester (Mich.).  Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at Michigan Stars Sports Center.