MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner and William Carey traded first-half goals in tonight's Southern States Athletic Conference showdown here at John Mark Stallings Field, but it was the Eagles who clinched the 2-1 victory with the lone strike in the second period.

Faulkner again made program history with its first-ever decision over the Crusaders. The Eagles were 0-6 lifetime versus William Carey entering the contest. In addition, the win marked the seventh of the season for the Eagles, the most ever by a Faulkner team.

Mehdi Himmich put Faulkner on the board just five minutes into play when he headed a Jarom Farnsworth corner kick by the keeper into the corner netting.

The Crusaders answered in the 20th minute, however, when Roger Viladomiu made good on the opposite end of the field.

The 1-1 stalemate held until the 63rd minute when Costandinos Whitehead found Farnsworth for the game-winning goal. 

Jarom Farnsworth fires in the game-winning goal on this slide attack

Whitehead took possession of an ill-played defensive header and sprinted down the far sideline, crossing the ball in toward the frame. Farnsworth caught the low ball on a brilliant sliding goal to give the Eagles the lead and eventual win.

It was the third time the duo connected for a score in Faulkner's last four goals.

"Winning against AUM was good but now it's not a fluke," head coach Kyle Beard told his team after the game. "You came out in the second half and you decided to win. This is your win tonight, because you wanted it bad enough."

Diego da Silva (7-3-1) was once again brilliant in the net for Faulkner with an impressive nine saves and one allowed goal in the win.

The Eagles have now toppled back-to-back foes that for years stood as looming reminders of defeat and in so doing have placed themselves on the cusp of yet another program record. Faulkner currently sits at 2-2 in the SSAC. Two league wins has been a single-season high for more than 16 years and it's the next piece of history the Eagles plan to rewrite.

Faulkner improved to 7-4-1 overall and will next travel to Pulaski, Tenn., to battle No. 24 Martin Methodist. The game is set for 7 p.m. on Oct. 22.