St. Bonifacius, MN — Crown men's soccer came out firing on Tuesday afternoon, putting together one of its strongest offensive performances of the season in a 7-1 home victory over Martin Luther.
The Polars wasted no time setting the tone. In just the second minute, Aidan Quandt jumped on an early opportunity, coming away with a steal and finishing with a one-touch score to give Crown an immediate 1-0 lead.
From there, the Crown attack continued to roll. Ashton Hosler converted a penalty kick for the first of his three goals on the afternoon, giving the Polars an early two-goal advantage. Josiah Hoffman added to the lead in the 19th minute, and Hosler struck again in the 27th and 41st minutes to complete a first-half hat trick and send Crown into the break firmly in control.
Martin Luther made adjustments at halftime and found the back of the net in the 62nd minute, but the Polars quickly shut down any thought of a comeback. Crown added two more goals late, with Tijan de Jonge scoring in the 73rd minute and Carlos Neto finding the net in the 80th minute to cap off the 7-1 victory.
Crown's offense was relentless throughout the match, totaling 34 shots and consistently putting pressure on the Knights' back line. The balanced attack and quick start helped the Polars control the pace from the opening whistle to the final minutes.
The win gives Crown momentum heading into the weekend, as both soccer teams will travel to Wisconsin for a Saturday non-conference match up against Maranatha Baptist.
