WOMEN’S SOCCER

Playing at St. Vincent Field Wednesday night, the Huntington University women’s soccer team opened Crossroads League play by going toe-to-toe with national powerhouse No. 2 Marian, ultimately falling 2-1 in a tightly contested, physical battle.

The Foresters (5-1-1, 0-1-0 CL) showed no backing down on the road against the second-ranked Knights (7-0-1, 1-0-0 CL), battling through a scoreless first half behind an organized defensive shape and clutch goalkeeping.

Marian broke through shortly after the intermission when Allie Tredway scored off an assist from Olivia Parmer in the 48th minute (47:09). The Knights doubled their advantage in the 67th minute (66:39) as Sienna Mullen converted a setup from Elizabeth Lantrip.

Huntington refused to fade, mounting a relentless attack late in regulation. In the 84th minute (83:35), the Foresters capitalized on a set piece when senior forward Sophie Shepherd pounced on a deflected ball from the Marian keeper, outracing defenders in front of an open net to cut the deficit to 2-1. Shepherd’s tally was significant on multiple fronts: it marked just the fourth goal conceded by the Knights all season across eight contests, puncturing a Marian defense that entered the night with four clean sheets.

For the match, Marian held a 14-4 advantage in total shots and a 7-2 edge in shots on goal.

Junior keeper Macie Sanders took the loss in net for the Foresters, delivering a strong 90-minute performance with five saves on seven shots on goal faced.

I am so beyond proud of this team. We knew this game would be a challenge, but we also knew we had what it takes to rise to it,” said Coach Keaton Albert. “Whether a team is ranked No. 2 in the nation or No. 100, we’re going to leave everything on the field. That’s exactly what we did. We didn’t come away with the win, but we’re coming home with confidence in what we can do and the resilience to keep moving forward. This is only the beginning of our journey.”

Huntington enters the thick of the conference slate carrying national respect, currently slotted 59th in the season’s initial NAIA RPI release with a rating of 0.564.

Up Next
The Foresters return home to King Stadium on Saturday, hosting Crossroads League foe #7 Grace College. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.