WOMEN’S SOCCER

The Huntington women’s soccer team maintained its unbeaten start to the season on a rainy Wednesday afternoon at Crestwood High School, securing a 3-0 shutout victory over the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

The matchup marked the first meeting between the two programs since 2019, when Huntington claimed a 3-1 win. With the victory, the Foresters improve to 5-0-1 on the year while the Wolverines fall to 1-5-1.

Huntington dictated tempo from opening whistle, outshooting UMD 24-5 overall and holding a 14-3 advantage in shots on frame.

Freshman midfielder Payton Toth opened the scoring in the 13th minute. Toth intercepted a clearance pass from a Wolverine defender 35 yards out, took two touches, and launched a strike over the head of the unexpecting UMD keeper into the back of the net. The goal marked Toth’s third consecutive match with a tally, lifting her season count to five.

Just before the intermission, HU’s relentless pressure created another scoring opportunity. In the 41st minute following a restart, senior forward Sophie Shepherd utilized her speed to strip the intended receiver of a pass and drove a moon-shot strike from 20 yards into the far upper corner catching the keeper off guard once again. Shepherd has now found the back of the net in five of HU’s six contests this fall, pacing the squad with eight goals.

Huntington added an insurance marker early in the second half. In the 53rd minute, senior defender Jezmin Castellanos slotted a through ball to senior midfielder Maria Paladino, who outpaced her marker down the flank before beating the keeper to register her first collegiate goal in Forester green.

Junior keeper Macie Sanders went the full 90 minutes between the posts, stopping all three shots on goal she faced to collect her second clean sheet of the fall and improve to 2-0-0 on the year.

“Today we started off slow but  made adjustments and dominated the second half with our style and relentlessness,” noted Coach Keaton Albert. “For us, as we continue to learn and grow, we will take this momentum into conference play, apply it, and leave it all on the field. I feel we are just at the beginning of our best play yet.

“Again, I’m overly proud of this team’s accomplishments. I’m thankful for all the trials God has held us through and will coming up. There is no doubt these ladies have already changed each other and what this program continues to build into. I’m grateful to be their coach and look forward to the battles ahead.”

Huntington closes out its non-conference slate with an unblemished 5-0-1 mark as they prepare for Crossroads League action, where five conference opponents are currently ranked inside the NAIA Top 20 national poll.

Up Next
Huntington opens Crossroads League play on Wednesday, traveling to Indianapolis to face No. 2-ranked Marian at 7:00 p.m.