Cougars Suffer Another Tough Loss in Final Minutes from Huntington
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) () | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
(RV) Huntington () | 0 | 2 | 2 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Wednesday afternoon the University of Saint Francis Cougars (7-8-2; 0-7-1 Crossroads) traveled to Huntington, Indiana to take on the Huntington University Foresters (11-5-1; 4-3-1 Crossroads) and despite a great fight lost 2-1 as the game-winner was scored with just over three minutes to play.
As the game got underway both teams battled back-and-forth exchanging scoring chances. The Cougars managed their first shot on goal less than three minutes in, but Huntington's goalkeeper kept it out.
Meanwhile, freshman goalkeeper Joe Deitering made some great saves himself for the Cougars. A few corner kicks by both teams went to no avail and despite a scoreless tie, the Cougars battled the resilient Foresters hard as the game went to halftime 0-0.
During the first half, the Cougars managed a couple shots on goal against zero for the Foresters, though they did have seven shots during the frame.
Heading into the second half the pace picked up a bit. The Foresters went on a run in the early going with four shots in the opening minutes and cashed in with the game's first goal that squeaked past Deitering in the 51st minute to give Huntington the lead.
But the Cougars remained resilient and went back on the offensive following the opening goal. Then in the 59th minute, junior midfielder Enrique Subiran got a pass from across the field and knocked in the equalizer as the Cougars tied the game at one.
The next several minutes of the second half went back-and-forth with neither team able to gain an edge. Saint Francis kept scratching and clawing to break the tie with Huntington, but their fortunes turned in the final minutes of the game.
In the 87th minute with under four minutes remaining, the Foresters got a break and knocked in the go-ahead goal to take a 2-1 lead, and for the second straight game, the Cougars lost a heartbreaker in the final minutes.
Throughout the game the Cougars managed nine shots with five on goal and one good, while Deitering stepped up to make three saves against five shots on goal.
The Cougars resume play on Saturday evening when they return home to Bishop D'Arcy Stadium for the 2022 season finale against the Taylor Trojans (3-8-5; 1-4-2 Crossroads) starting at 7 pm.
Cougar fans, stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting Saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.