WORCESTER, Mass. – Freshman forward Evan Jones and freshman midfielder Ivor Teagle both scored second half goals, as the Holy Cross men's soccer team came from behind to defeat American 2-1 at Linda Johnson Smith Stadium. The Crusaders improve to 4-1-2 overall and 1-0-0 in the Patriot League with the win, while the Eagles fall to 1-3-2 on the year and 0-1-0 in the conference.

American opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Mattias Cooper's corner kick was headed in by David Coly. A defender nearly blocked the shot at the goal line, but the ball still found its way into the net.

Holy Cross responded in the 54th minute on Jones' third goal of the season. Senior forward Max Krause played the ball into the right corner for freshman midfielder Jake Williams, then Williams sent a cross that was headed into the net by Jones from six yards out.

The Crusaders took the lead for good in the 76th minute on Teagle's first career goal. Williams collected a loose ball in the center of the field and sent a long pass into the box, where Teagle headed it just over the goalkeeper's outstretched fingers from eight yards out on the right side.

Junior goalkeeper Jimmy Joyce recorded two saves for Holy Cross, while Lorenzo Gordon has a pair of saves for the Eagles.

The Crusaders finished the day with a 9-7 advantage in shots, while American held a 5-3 edge in corner kicks.

Holy Cross returns to action on Tuesday, Sept. 21, when it travels to Northeastern for a 6:00 p.m. game.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
• Williams recorded the first two points on his career with assists on both goals.
• Krause's assist on Jones' goal was the 18th of his Holy Cross career, tying the all-time program record previously held by Wayne Mullin (18 assists, 1985-1988).
• American won the Patriot League Tournament title last season and was picked second in the 2021 Patriot League preseason poll.