MEN’S SOCCER

It took the Huntington men’s soccer team all of three minutes to announce that the 2026 season had begun. The Foresters struck twice inside the opening 14 minutes and made it stand up, opening the year with a 2-1 road victory over Cornerstone University on Wednesday afternoon at CU Soccer Stadium.

The win moves Huntington to 1-0 and extends a steady run of opening-day form – the Foresters are now 2-1-2 in season openers over the last five years.

Six of Huntington’s 11 starters were new to the program this fall, and it was two of those newcomers who supplied every bit of the offense. Junior forward Samuel Edem and junior midfielder Max Nayo, both from Accra, Ghana, paired up on both Forester goals in a blistering opening stretch.

The first came less than four minutes in. Edem drove a through ball into the box, and Nayo outsprinted his defender to it, taking one touch and burying it far post side netting for the first Huntington goal of the season. Ten minutes later the pair went right back to work. Edem juked his defender inside the six and slipped the ball across to Nayo, who tapped it home for an easy finish and a 2-0 lead just 13 minutes into the campaign.

Cornerstone answered in the 30th minute on a Steven Stidham strike, and that was the extent of it. Sophomore goalkeeper Teagan Kraal went the distance in net for the Foresters, stopping three of the four shots he faced and earning the win in his season debut. He was perfect after halftime, turning away all three second-half attempts Cornerstone put on frame.

Huntington outshot Cornerstone 12-8 and put seven on frame to the Golden Eagles’ four.

The loss drops Cornerstone to 0-2, following an earlier defeat to Crossroads League opponent Spring Arbor.

Up Next
The Foresters stay on the road, traveling to Notre Dame, Ind., to face Holy Cross on Saturday, Aug. 29 at 7:00 p.m.