Madonna scored the match-winner with just over 10 minutes to play on Wednesday afternoon as the Crusaders defeated Lourdes 2-1 at Wildcat Stadium.
 
"This was a tough loss for us today," head coach Matt Johnson said afterwards.  "It was a very competitive teams between two teams that were evenly matched for the most part.  Madonna did a better job of executing in crucial moments, and that quality was the difference in the game."
 
The Crusaders struck first in the 27^th minutes as Ivan Panergo found the goal from a tight angle near the end line just outside the box on the left side.
 
Lourdes evened the match five minutes later.  Brendon Long (Cave Creek, Ariz./Cactus Shadows H.S.) picked up a rebound and with the goalkeeper down, fired a shot from 20 yards out into an empty net for his team-leading eighth goal of the season.
 
The match stayed evening heading into intermission, with the Crusaders holding a 6-3 shot advantage in the opening 45 minutes.  Lourdes controlled the play coming out of the break but was unable to find the back of the net.  Madonna (7-4, 6-3 WHAC) found the match-winner with 10:02 to play as Wagner Gameiro Febbe flicked the ball ahead into the box where Alexander Zaleczny got his head on it and scored the decisive goal.
 
The Crusaders finished with a 10-9 shot advantage and a 7-3 edge in corner kicks for the match.  Ali Chokr (Bint Jbail, Lebanon/Fontainebleau [La.] H.S.) made six saves in goal for the Gray Wolves while Zach Shuk made two stops for Madonna over the final 58 minutes, coming on in relief.
 
"We expect to see Madonna again next weekend in the playoffs at their place  so we have work to do to prepare for that challenge," Johnson concluded.
 
Lourdes (8-7-1, 5-4-1) will close out the regular season on Friday evening, as the Gray Wolves travel to Beverly Hills, Mich. to face Michigan-Dearborn. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Gabriel Richard High School.