MEN’S SOCCER

The Huntington men’s soccer team’s storied season came to an end Saturday afternoon with a 5-1 loss to 3rd-ranked Central Methodist University in the opening round of the 2018 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championships.

The Foresters, seeded 6th in the final league standings, stormed through the CL tournament to capture the program’s first ever conference tournament championship. The tourney title earned Lawson and crew an automatic bid the big stage where they were pitted against the Eagles.

CMU is proven powerhouse in the NAIA and they lived up that billing on this given day. They entered the contest with eight Top 5 national rankings including the No. 3 spot in total goals with 81 and wasted little time upping their numbers.

Three different Eagles scored in the first half to claim a convincing 3-0 lead by the midway point.

“Full credit goes to Central Methodist,” said Coach Lawson. “They are a dynamic team that put us under from the start. We struggled with unlocking their pressure marking up on their restarts.”

Two other Eagles got in on the action within the first six minutes of the second half to stretch the lead to five. The 5-0 advantage remained until the waning seconds when senior Mikal Farabee buried a PK into the bottom left corner of the net. The goal was Farabee’s first collegiate score and his team’s 43rd and final goal of the season.

The final numbers favored Central Methodist in shots taken, 22-12, and corner kicks, 10-2. Twelve of CMU’s shots were on target to HU’s five.

Huntington wraps up the year with a final record of 11-8-3.

“Today definitely stings but does not take away from the dream ride these young men took all of us on during the postseason,” noted Lawson. “The vision was cast four years ago and I am so proud of the boys and staff for reaching the national championships.

“On behalf of the staff and players, I want to say thank you to HU’s alumni, administration, faculty, staff, fellow students and our families for their tremendous support this season – it is very much appreciated!”