Foresters Secure 3-1 Victory Over IU East for Second Straight Win

HUNTINGTON, Ind. - The HU women's soccer team picked up its second straight win with a 3-1 victory over IU Eastm (1-1-1) Saturday night at King Stadium. The Foresters, who topped IU South Bend earlier this week, improve to 2-1 on the year.

After scoring just once through the first 180 minutes of the season, Huntington found its rhythm offensively on this given day. The hosts struck quickly as Emory Smith battled off a defender in the corner of the box before slipping a pass to Sophie Shepherd for the easy finish just seven minutes into the contest. The Red Wolves responded with the equalizer in the 25th minute, but the Foresters wasted little time reclaiming the lead.

Ten minutes later, Ella Theard buried a loose ball off a free kick for a 2-1 advantage heading into halftime.

IU East refused to go quietly, applying heavy pressure down the stretch, especially in the final minutes. But the Foresters had the last word. With the visitors pushing numbers forward in the closing moments, HU goalkeeper Macie Sanders cleared a ball deep into Red Wolf territory, sparking a foot race that Elana McGinnis won before calmly slotting home the dagger with just :37 seconds remaining.

"We felt we left some on the field last Saturday," said Coach Keaton Albert. "I'm proud of the team and their response today. We knew the job we had to do today and we got it done."

The Foresters finished with a 12-9 edge in shots while Sanders collected six saves in the win. Since the series began in 2022, HU now holds a 2-1-1 record against IU East. Albert's crew has a week break before traveling to Anderson next Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff with the Ravens.

The Huntington University Foresters compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 181 NAIA All-America honors and 631 All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S. News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest.