MEN’S SOCCER

The Forester men’s soccer team was well represented in the Crossroads League postseason awards as announced by the national office.

After being named the CL Newcomer of the Year last season, sophomore Sam Dolobaipu earned a spot on the All-League First Team this fall. The 6-3 forward leads HU in goals with 13 while also dishing out a team-leading eight assists for 34 points. He currently sits second in the conference in goals scored, fourth in assists and third in total points.

Dilesh Patel also garnered First Team accolades as one of the best midfielders in the league. In addition to controlling the middle of the park, the 5-7 senior has also netted three goals and handed out six dimes this season. Arguably the most dynamic and creative player on Coach Potter’s club, the Foresters look to play the ball through him as much as possible.

Dan Pellegrine rounds out the list of First Teamers for Huntington. The 6-3 senior is one of two keepers to land a spot on the top team. He currently carries a 13-5-2 record in net, having given up just 18 goals this season. He leads the league in saves with 81 and claims the second highest save percentage at .818. His goals-against average of 0.99 is the third best among his league peers.

Senior Joao Ratinho’s offensive prowess earned him an honorable mention shoutout. The 6-1 forward has found back netting ten times this fall, five of which have been game-winners, while passing out five assists for a total of 25 points. In the league, he’s eighth in goals scored and seventh in overall points.

Joining Ratinho as an honorable mention pick is 6-4 sophomore defender Matheus Menegueli. Menegueli anchors a backline line that has posted eight clean sheets this season. The Foresters give up a mere 5.3 shots on goal per game while allowing just 1.05 goals per game.

Wrapping up the Huntington praises includes Coach Nick Potter being named the Crossroads League Coach of the Year as voted on by his peers. After being hired as the interim coach two weeks prior to the team arriving on campus for preseason, Potter guided the Foresters to a regular season conference championship, a feat that hadn’t been done since 1989.

HU (13-5-2) earned an at-large bid to the NAIA National Championships. As the 13th seed, the Foresters received a first round bye and will face unseeded MidAmerica Nazarene on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. EST in second round action. It’s the program’s sixth trip to an NAIA postseason tournament with the last appearance in 2019.