WOMEN’S SOCCER

The HU women’s soccer team held their own against one of the nation’s best for the first 60 minutes before #16 Taylor came alive in the second half to hand the Foresters a 4-1 loss Saturday afternoon at King Stadium.

HU had the Trojans right where they wanted them early, taking a 1-0 lead into halftime thanks to a highlight-reel goal from Sophie Shepherd in the 36th minute. The junior striker’s strike—her ninth of the season and third in as many matches—came off a beautifully designed free kick. Jada Mia Lee lofted a perfect pass to Shepherd, who one-timed it out of the air into the far corner to give Huntington the edge.

Momentum seemed to stay with the Foresters when they appeared to double their lead early in the second half on a Taylor own goal, but the play was called back on an offsides ruling. The reversal proved costly as Taylor responded with a flurry—four goals in an eight-minute stretch—to seize control and never look back.

Despite the tough second half, goalkeeper Macie Sanders finished with four saves while facing 19 Trojan shots. Huntington managed five shots of its own, three on target.

“This game is all about moments and momentum shifts,” said Coach Keaton Albert. “The one stings, because we were right there in it. We held the #16 team for 61 minutes, five shots in the first half and 1-0 in our favor at halftime.

“The growth and intention of this team is beyond expectations. The growth of excellence comes in small moments like these. The legacy the seniors and leaders have already left in this program will forever stick. We still have one more game, and we will be ready to lay it all on the line again.”

With the setback, the Foresters drop to 7-8 overall and 2-6 in Crossroads League play, while Taylor improves to 13-2-1 (5-2-1 CL). HU closes out the regular season Wednesday with a pivotal road matchup at Mount Vernon Nazarene, as the two teams plus Saint Francis are currently in a three-way tie for seventh in the league standings—with postseason implications on the line.