MEN’S SOCCER

The Huntington men’s soccer team built a two-goal cushion and withstood a furious late charge to earn a 2-1 road victory over Saint Xavier University Saturday afternoon at Deaton Field.

After battling the Cougars to a 1-1 draw a year ago, the Foresters (3-3) seized control late in the opening half. In the 44th minute, forward Godslove Mensah delivered a moment of individual brilliance. Mensah orchestrated a crisp give-and-go before dribbling into space, finding room on his right foot, and unleashing a 30-yard blast into upper-90 to give Huntington a 1-0 advantage at the break. The highlight-reel strike marked Mensah’s first collegiate goal in a Forester uniform.

Huntington wasted no time doubling its lead coming out of intermission. Less than three minutes into the second half, an SXU foul during a heavy collision inside the box awarded HU a penalty kick. Samuel Edem stepped up to the spot and calmly buried the strike into the back of the net to make it 2-0.

Saint Xavier (4-5) ramped up the pressure down the stretch, generating eight second-half shots. The Cougars finally broke through in the 86th minute when Yael Diaz finished a feed from Kajetan Mlynarski from close range to cut the deficit to 2-1. SXU pushed aggressively for the equalizer in the closing minutes – hitting the crossbar at 87:19 and creating a pair of blocked looks but Huntington’s defensive line held firm under the final siege.

Junior goalkeeper Zane Hydock earned the win between the posts for HU, stopping four of the five shots on goal he faced over the full 90 minutes.

Huntington edged Saint Xavier 11-10 in total shots, while the Cougars held a 5-4 margin in shots on goal.

Up Next
The Foresters return home to open Crossroads League play, hosting Marian on Wednesday at 7:00  p.m.