MEN’S SOCCER

For the first time in program history, the Forester men’s soccer team landed a spot in the championship game of the Crossroads League tournament with an impressive 3-1 win over 7th-seeded Indiana Wesleyan in the semis Saturday afternoon at King Stadium.

HU’s road to the finals began with a 2-1 decision over 3rd-seeded Bethel on Wednesday. It was Huntington’s second time to beat the Pilots this season. Fast forward three days and the same proved true as Lawson’s crew beat IWU in the regular season and got the best of them again today.

Things didn’t start off like an afternoon that would favor the hosts as the Wildcats’ made good on their first shot for a 1-0 lead within the opening six minutes. The Foresters, seeded 6th, didn’t cringe but instead went into lockdown mode.

Keeper Gabe Greenfield and his defensive crew stood tall to not only hold IWU scoreless the rest of the way, but also surrendered just six shots in the remaining 84 minutes while the offense got the job done in the second half.

“I was really impressed with the emotional stability of our guys today,” said Coach Lawson. “The composure and maturity we showed having gone down early was impressive – it’s a credit to our senior leadership.

“We had plenty of opportunities because we kept plugging away and that was exciting to see.”

The Foresters’ pay-off came in the 60th minute on a restart when Matheus Louzada found Miguel de Sousa who elevated over his man in the box for a header into the back of the net for the equalizer. It was the perfect time for the senior midfielder’s first goal of the year, the 16th of his career.

Huntington continued to pressure their visitors and with eight minutes to go, they cracked IWU’s defense again for the game-winner. After receiving a pass from Val De Coninck, Jake Erlandson tapped it to Louzada who slotted it past the keeper for a perfectly executed combo play.

Louzada was back at it four minutes later to put the match out of reach when he broke down the backline off the dribble and then found Ty Sproat who buried it back netting. Louzada finished the day with four points which included an assist on either side of his 7th goal of the year.

“Today was a phenomenal result and a tremendous team effort,” said Lawson. “I’m so proud of the boys. We are excited to extend our season and get a crack at a tournament championship.”

The Foresters (10-7-3) have a week’s preparation before traveling to top-seeded Spring Arbor on Saturday for the CL championship. The winner of Saturday’s contest will get an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament.