HUNTINGTON, Ind. – The Spring Arbor University men's soccer team posted its fourth shutout of the season, defeating Huntington University 2-0 in its Crossroads League opener on Saturday.
After a dangerous shot by Michael Caccavo immediately off the opening kick that forced the HU keeper to push it just over the crossbar, the Cougars struggled to get much going against the Foresters.
Despite the slow start, the outstanding play of senior goalkeeper Billy Irvine, who registered six first half saves, kept SAU in the match as the teams went into halftime scoreless.
In the 77th minute, the Cougars were finally able to breakthrough with a goal from Jared Putt off a counter attack. The play was sparked by a great tackle by Josiah Weber who then found senior captain Riley Luttenton. Luttenton switched the field to freshman Kevin Veeder, who fed Putt for the go-ahead score.
The Cougars sealed the match with a second goal in the closing seconds after Caccavo took the ball the length of the field and finished with a low shot past Forester netminder.
"We started really poorly today, which was really disappointing," said head coach Nathan Miller. "I'm proud of the guys and how they responded in a second half, though, when the pressure was on. We are happy with the result but moving forward we know we have to bring better focus to start matches."
Irvine finished the afternoon with 10 saves, including several huge stops, to preserve the clean sheet.
Huntington (3-7-0, 0-1-0 Crossroads League) held a slight edge in shots, firing 13 compared to SAU's 12, but the Cougars posted a 10-4 advantage in corner kicks.
Spring Arbor (8-1-1, 1-0-0 Crossroads League) will host Goshen College on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.
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