MEN’S SOCCER

The game will technically go down in the books as a 0-0 tie, but the 6th-seeded Wildcats of Indiana Wesleyan are moving on to the semis of the Crossroads League Tournament over the 3rd-seeded Forester men’s soccer team by way of a 6-5 shootout after playing two extra periods without a winner in quarterfinal action of the CL tourney.

The stalemate is the second between the two squads this season as the regular season matchup ended in a 1-1 deadlock.

“Once again this was another tight, intense Crossroads League tournament game,” said Coach Russ Lawson. “Statistically, the numbers were pretty even across the board. And overall, I thought our defense was fantastic.

“We were organized, executed well and played with a lot of grit. Wesleyan is a dangerous team so to throw a clean sheet up for the night was fantastic. As our offense grew into the game, I thought we had plenty of opportunities to get the game winner. Unfortunately, we didn’t have that final piece of quality to get the job done.”

Playing on Indiana Tech’s turf field with HU serving as the host school, both teams generated a slew of scoring opportunities that never affected the scoreboard. IWU finished with 24 shots to Huntington’s 23 and also enjoyed a slight 18-16 advantage in shots on goal. Corner kicks were also nearly even at 7-6 with the Wildcats logging one more than their hosts.

Both keepers went the distance in frame to finish with double-digit saves with each claiming the shutout. Gabe Greenfield posted 12 saves while Aaron Carr tracked down ten.

Lawson had nothing but praise for his team. “I’m so proud of the boys. They’ve been through a lot this fall so to put together a season like they did – I’m pleased. I’m excited for what we have to build on in the future but in the same breath, I’m sad that we’re losing such quality young men who have impacted this team and left such a good mark on the program.”

Today’s loss ends the Foresters’ season as they wrap up the year with an overall record of 9-6-4.