SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The No. 18 ranked Spring Arbor University men's soccer team increased its win streak to eight games with a 2-0 victory over Huntington University in a Crossroads League matchup Wednesday night at the Cougar Soccer Complex.

Spring Arbor and Huntington were two of three remaining unbeatens in league play, but the Cougars used goals from Alex Sokalski and Baba Valdmanis to deal the Foresters their first conference loss of the season and remain at the top of the standings.

THE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: #18 Spring Arbor 2, Huntington 0

LOCATION: Cougar Soccer Complex | Spring Arbor, Mich.

RECORDS: Spring Arbor 11-2-0 (4-0-0 CL), Huntington 5-3-4 (1-1-2 CL)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After nearly 45 minutes of scoreless action, Spring Arbor grabbed a 1-0 lead just before halftime. In the 43rd minute, Stephen Gabriele drew a foul inside the box setting up a penalty kick that Sokalski calmly buried into the upper corner.
• The Cougars added some cushion to their lead with a goal from Valdmanis in the 62nd minute. Jacob Crull found Valdmanis at the top corner of the 18, and his shot beat the HU goalkeeper inside the near post.
• Spring Arbor outshot the visitors 13-7, including 7-2 in the second half.
• Isiah Handspike earned his sixth shutout of the season after making five saves.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

• The win was the eighth straight for Spring Arbor. The Cougars also extended their home unbeaten streak to 29 matches.
• It was the seventh consecutive victory for SAU over Huntington and the fourth straight shutout.
• Sokalski scored for the third match in a row and has four total goals this season. Valdmanis notched his third goal of the campaign.
• Spring Arbor is tied for the league-lead with seven clean sheets and also tied for first in the league in goals allowed per game (1.0).

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH NATHAN MILLER

• "Huntington is a very solid team with a very good playmaker we had to account for. Our defending was so intense, smart, and consistent, really proud of the guys for that defensive effort."
• "It wasn't our best night controlling the game, the ball, and the space, but we had some great moments of quality."
• "Our bench was fantastic tonight and really gave us a push. That was a team performance and we love that."
• "We will keep preparing well for every game and improve every day. Goshen is very good this year so big time challenge this weekend."

UP NEXT

Spring Arbor will travel to Goshen College (9-3-1, 2-1-1 CL) on Saturday, Oct. 14. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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