Olson Field this afternoon. The visiting Crusaders jumped to a 2-0 lead and held on for a 3-2 win in an important Freedom Conference contest.

Things started badly for the Eagles when Alvernia's Adam Lush picked off a pass in Eastern's defensive third and tucked a low shot past Michael Dorsch for a 1-0 lead just 2:18 into the game. The Crusaders doubled their advantage in the 20th minute of the match when Morgan Davidheiser buried a high shot for his ninth tally of the year.

Eastern responded with great possession and pressure. That pressure resulted in a penalty kick in the 37th minute. Terry Fry buried the shot for his team-best 12th goal of the year.

Eastern controlled play in the opening minutes of the second half, but Richard Kessler and the Alvernia back line neutralized the Eastern attack. Alvernia's Domenic Montone delivered the crushing blow of the game in the 77th minute when he made a quick move off a pass from Lush and crushed a shot just inside the left upright to build the Alvernia lead back to two goals.

The Eagles increased their pressure further but were not able to cut into the Alvernia advantage until Eric Wisler scored his first career goal with six seconds to play. 

With the loss, the Eagles fall to 2-2-1 in Freedom Conference play. Alvernia improves to 4-1. Eastern will host Manhattanville College in a game with enormous playoff implications Saturday.