MEN’S SOCCER

Under the lights at King Stadium on Wednesday night, the Huntington men’s soccer team opened Crossroads League play in a high-octane battle against #RV Marian, ultimately suffering a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat.

The Foresters entered the contest having controlled the recent series between the two programs, boasting a 6-2-2 mark over their previous ten meetings against the Knights. Marian struck first in the 25th minute on a finish from Leonard Assouan, but Huntington responded with determination before the intermission. In the 40th minute, junior forward Henry Heaney found senior midfielder Jonathan Ruiz, who worked the ball onto his right foot just outside the top of the box and unleashed a strike to level the score at 1-1. The tally marked Ruiz’s first goal of the season and the fifth of his Forester career.

Huntington generated a prime opportunity to seize the lead 12 minutes into the second half when a Marian foul in the penalty area awarded the Foresters a penalty kick. However, Marian goalkeeper Tristan Edwards came up with a brilliant diving deflection to turn aside the attempt and keep the match tied.

The Knights regained the advantage in the 73rd minute on Assouan’s second goal of the evening, but the Foresters answered right back just two minutes later. Junior midfielder Josh Carter delivered a precision corner kick into the box, connecting with the head of sophomore defender Leo Oster, who powered it home in the 75th minute to draw Huntington even at 2-2.

With both sides locked in a fierce, physical power struggle and emotions running high across the pitch in the closing minutes, the decisive blow came in the 86th minute. Following a chaotic scramble inside the Forester box, a loose ball deflected off a Huntington defender directly to Marian’s Eduardo Rivera, who buried the unassisted game-winner.

Junior goalkeeper Zane Hydock went the full 90 minutes between the posts for Huntington, turning aside six of the nine shots on target he faced in the loss. Marian held a 14-9 advantage in total shots (9-4 on goal).

With the setback, Huntington moves to 3-4-0 overall and 0-1-0 in Crossroads League play, while Marian improves to 8-2-0 (1-0-0 CL).

Up Next
The Foresters continue Crossroads League action on Saturday when they travel to Winona Lake to take on #RV Grace at 7:00 p.m.