MEN’S SOCCER

Playing on the road, the Huntington men’s soccer team came back from a 2-0 deficit to draw even at 2-2 by game’s end against the 8th-ranked Lancers of Grace College (7-0-5, 2-0-2) Saturday night under the lights at 1st Source Bank Field.

Three of the last four times these two squads have squared off have ended in a stalemate.

HU fans won’t be able to talk about tonight’s epic comeback without mentioning Pedro Moreira’s heroic play. In between Grace’s two goals, the veteran keeper came up with a rare PK save. As it turned out, the Lancers scored five minutes later but rather than a 3-0 advantage, their lead was a fleeting two.

A minute after GC’s second goal, a scramble from a corner kick set the stage for Higor Barbieri to bury a ball from Cooper Foshee to pull Huntington within one at 2-1. To say it gave the Foresters new life was an understatement. Fifteen minutes later, in the 81st minute, Joao Ratinho found back netting when he got his head on a ball sent in by Tiago Costa on a restart.

Ratinho (9) and Barbieri (8) have combined to score 17 goals this season.

The 2-2 deadlock held the final nine minutes for HU’s first tie of the season, the Lancers’ fifth. When all was said and done, Lawson’s crew took just three shots in the second half, all within a 15-minute span and two of which resulted in goals. Overall, shots favored the hosts 17-6.

Moreira finished with six saves on the night.

“This was a very important point for us on the road,” said Coach Russ Lawson. “I thought we played a sound, tactical game. Obviously, going down two, we had to open it up.

“I thought the pressure we were able to put on them and our ability to capitalize on restarts was fantastic. Our backline defended well against a great team. We had several guys really step up for us. Overall, I’m very proud of the boys and how hard they fought.”

Huntington (8-4-1, 1-2-1) hits the road again on Wednesday to take on #24 Indiana Wesleyan at 4:00 p.m.