Usually it’s the goalkeeper making the saves, but sometimes his defenders bail him out. Earlier in the season, Brek Shea had a save of the week with a spectacular extension to kick-save the ball off the line to prevent a goal. Watch Brek's Save Here. Tuesday night against Columbus, Sean St. Ledger upped the ante with a most fantastic save of his own.
With the Lions up two goals at the beginning of the second half, Columbus turned up the pressure to try and get back into the Round of 16 match. Crew SC’s best chance came in the 48th minute when Kristinn Steindórsson chipped a ball past Tally Hall toward the far corner of the goal. Determined to preserve the clean sheet, St. Ledger climbed the ladder to get his head on the ball and safely steer it away.
“I think Ledge had the save of the year. I don’t think I’m going to be able to beat that one,” said a grateful Hall after the match. “The view I had is going for the ball and I’m turning around to watch it hit the back of the net and all of the sudden he just comes flying in. It was a well-placed shot and it was a special save.”
It was Hall’s third consecutive clean sheet at home and fourth overall. He’s the one who gets the credit for the shutout, but Hall was quick to heap the praise on his defenders.
“Every one of the defenders individually has a lot of responsibility on this team and it seems like every time they’re given a task, they step up to the plate and they’re doing a very good job.”
St. Ledger’s save was critical not just for the clean sheet, but for the game itself – which secured the Lions a trip to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup.
“[It was] huge. It could’ve changed the entire game. Instead, it [turned] out to be a comfortable 2-0 victory for us,” said Hall. “But make no mistake, that [goal] goes in and the game changes.”
St. Ledger’s save epitomized his transforming role on the team.
“I think he’s grown with every performance, really. Not just his performance, but the way he is with the rest of the group. Suddenly he’s becoming a leader,” said head coach Adrian Heath. “One of the reasons we brought him here is we thought his experience would be invaluable during the year and it’s proving that way. He’s come in and been outstanding.”
