MEN’S SOCCER

The 12th-ranked Spring Arbor Cougars (15-3) wrapped up the regular season with a 3-1 win over the HU men’s soccer team Wednesday night at the Cougar Soccer Complex to remain unblemished in league play at 9-0.

As the CL regular season champs, SAU will not only be the top seed in the tourney but also earn an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament. The Foresters (8-7-3) finished 6th in the regular season standings with a conference record of 3-4-2.

Defense was the name of the game in the first half as neither team got on the scoreboard but the final 45 minutes was a different story. Huntington was the first to crack the other’s defense when Ty Sproat whipped the ball across the box to Val De Coninck who dropped it to Ben Arnold. The rookie midfielder blistered it back netting for a 1-0 advantage at the 53:16 mark.

However, the celebration was short lived. SAU’s equalizer came five minutes later and opened the floodgates as the game-winner came five minutes after that. The Cougars would go on to tack on an insurance goal 90 seconds later to make for a three-goal scoring spree in less than ten minutes.

The rest of the match came and went quietly as each team managed just one shot apiece after that.

“We dropped our guard and Spring Arbor punished us,” said Coach Lawson. “They have so many weapons. They are a quality team that has set the standard for our league.

“The bottom line is we have to do better.”

The Foresters will get that chance a week from today, October 31, when they square off with 3rd-seeded Bethel in the opening round of the Crossroads League Tournament.