WOMEN’S SOCCER

The HU women’s soccer team opened Crossroads League play Wednesday night under the lights at King Stadium, falling 5-0 to 4th-ranked Marian.

With the win, the Knights remain perfect on the year at 9-0, with four of those victories coming via shutouts. Marian has now gone undefeated against the Foresters since 2018.

While the final score tilted heavily in favor of MU, Huntington didn’t back down against one of the nation’s powerhouses. After conceding in the 10th minute, the Foresters kept their guests in check for the next 30 minutes of the first half and the opening 25 minutes of the second before the Knights broke through again.

HU keeper Macie Sanders turned in a busy evening, collecting five saves against a relentless Marian attack that fired off 27 shots compared to just one for the Foresters. Huntington’s lone attempt came in the 72nd minute when Sophie Shepherd forced a stop by MU keeper Lily Ames.

“It is hard to say much on a night like this. Much respect to our opponent, and their level of play,” noted Coach Keaton Albert. “Losing is difficult especially when the score line is such. In the face of defeat, however, this team did on tremendous thing – they kept applying and playing our way to the best of their abilities. It takes tremendous heart in the face of defeat to keep your head up and keep battling. This is our win tonight, and we are choosing to move forward with gratitude and even more belief.”

The setback drops HU to 5-3 on the season, 0-1 in league play. The Foresters are back in action Saturday with a trip to Winona Lake to face Grace at 7:00 p.m.