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2002-03 Season Summary |
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Three
Foresters
Earn Recognition
The
NAIA announced its women's soccer
post-season awards for the 2002 season.
HC's Elizabeth Ballard and Amber Hirschy,
both residents of Huntington, are joined
by Erin Abbey on the list of NAIA
All-America Scholar-Athletes.
Recipients of this award must have a junior or senior
academic standing and maintain a minimum
cumulative grade point average of
3.5. Abbey, who scored a
school-record 18 goals during the season,
majors in Educational Ministries with
minors in Bible/Religion and
Literature. The Millbury, Ohio
native has earned Dean's List honors in
each of her four semesters at Huntington
College. Ballard, the Forester's
goal keeper for the past four years, is an
Elementary Education major and was a
member of the Dean's List in four of her
six semesters to date. Hirschy, a
starter in the Forester's defense, is
pursuing a business management degree with
a minor in political science. Hirschy
also has received Dean's List honors in
each of her semesters at Huntington
College.
Foresters
Earn MCC Honors
The
Mid-Central Conference announced its
women's soccer post-season awards with
three Foresters appearing on the list of
honorees. Senior Erin Abbey and
freshman Christi Shook were recognized for
their accomplishments on the field, and
Coach Tom Datema was named MCC Coach of
the Year. Abbey and Shook led the
Forester's offensive attack throughout the
season with Abbey tallying a school record
18 goals and adding 7 assists, while Shook
netted 16 goals of her own and dished out
8 assists. Coach Datema led the team
to a program-record 9 wins for the year
and a fourth place finish in the
conference. Congratulations on an
outstanding season!
Grace
Upsets HC
The Forester's
season came to an end with a 2-1 loss in
double overtime to Grace College in the
first round of the MCC Conference
Tournament. HC started the game with
the wind and were able to put a lot of
pressure on the Grace defenders. Kara
Fultz finally broke through in the 33rd
minute to give the Foresters a 1-0
lead. HC continued to press the
attack but gave up a goal against the run
of play in the 43rd minute. In the
second half Grace took advantage of the
wind and was able to match the Forester's
effort. Both teams had several
chances to score in the second half but
neither could find the back of the
net. With 6 minutes to go Kara Fultz
dribbled through the Grace defense, but
her shot from 8 yards went over the bar
and regulation time ended with the game
tied 1-1. HC continued to create
scoring chances in the overtime periods,
but it was Grace who finally scored the
game winner in the 7th minute of the
second overtime. "It
was a disappointing game in that I felt we
clearly carried the play, but just
couldn't score," said Coach Datema.
"I was really pleased with our effort
though. We have a small roster to begin
with and injuries further reduced our
numbers to the point where we only had one
field player substitute. In spite of
that, I think we were able to do what we
wanted all game long. Today was also the
last game for seniors Erin Abbey and Liz
Ballard. They both had outstanding years
and I will miss both of them next
year." The women end their
season with a program record nine wins
against nine losses.
ONU
Takes
it To HC
The Olivet
Nazarene Tigers scored two goals in each
half to knock off the Foresters 4-1.
ONU went on the attack right from the start
and scored goals in the 10th and 16th
minutes to take a 2-0 halftime lead.
The second half featured more of the same
with the Tigers adding two more goals
in the 48th and 49th minutes. HC got it's
lone goal when Mindy Sincler converted a
penalty awarded for a ONU handball. "We
ran into a very good team today," said
Coach Datema. "They work hard and never
let up. We did a better job of
matching their effort in the second half,
but we need to learn to do that for 90
minutes." Huntington now stands
at 9-8 on the season with one game remaining
on their regular season schedule.
Trojans
Rally to Beat HC
The women's soccer
team failed to put the Trojans of Taylor
University away, falling 4-3 and missing a
golden opportunity to wrap up third place in
the MCC Conference. The Foresters got
off to a great start in the 10th minute with a
goal by Erin Abbey off of a corner kick by
Mindy Sincler. Taylor responded just
three minutes later with a goal of their
own. HC took the lead again when Christi
Shook assisted Abbey on her second goal in the
26th minute. Shook then scored two
minutes later when she blocked a Taylor
clearance and shot past the keeper, putting
the Foresters up by two goals. Taylor came
storming back with two goals in the 30th and
42nd minute to end a wild first half with the
score tied 3-3. In the second half,
Taylor was able to turn up the pressure on HC
and finally got the go ahead goal in the 82nd
minute and then held on for the win. "We
let an opportunity slip away today and we have
no excuse for that," said Coach Datema.
"We need to be able to finish off a team
when we have a two-goal lead." The
loss drops the Foresters to 9-7 on the season
and 4-3 in the conference.
Foresters
Fall to Cougars
It was a key MCC
Conference match-up between the 4-1 Foresters
and the 4-0 Cougars of St. Francis, but it was
St. Francis that came away with the 5-2 win to
remain undefeated in conference play. The
Cougars took a 3-0 halftime lead on goals in the
23rd, 34th & 42nd minutes. Huntington
finally got on the board in the 72nd minute when
Christi Shook split the defense with a pass to
Erin Abbey, who tucked the ball just inside the
post. Abbey had another opportunity in the
79th minute but the ball was knocked down by the
keeper. There was a brief scramble on the
goal line before Shook finished off the play to
draw HC within a goal of the Cougars. The
Foresters tried desperately to come up with the
equalizer for the rest of the game, but St.
Francis scored two goals in the final three
minutes to put the game out of reach.
"Kara
Fultz was our best player today," said
Coach Datema. "She played well at both ends
of the field and created problems for St.
Francis with her runs into the box all
day. I was also pleased with our keeper,
Liz Ballard. She played well in goal
and then gave us a spark when she moved onto the
field to give us some depth in the last 20
minutes. The women now stand at 9-6
overall and 4-2 in the MCC.
Foresters
Rally Late
The Foresters moved to
a record of 9-5 with a 3-1 victory over Defiance
College. HC put together several good scoring
opportunities in the first half, but solid play
from the Defiance keeper kept the Foresters at
bay. In the second half, Defiance got on the
board first with a goal in the 61st minute.
The Foresters finally equalized in the 75th minute
when Kara Fultz took a feed from Megan Heyboer,
dribbled through the Defiance defense, and fired
her shot past the keeper. The goal seemed to
ignite the Foresters and they took the lead just 2
minutes later when Mindy Sincler slipped a pass to
Erin Abbey who scored. Katie Chafin, the
beneficiary of a poor Yellow Jacket clear,
finished the scoring in the 83rd minute with a
floater over the keeper's head into the upper left
corner of the goal. "Overall
we didn't play well today," said Coach Datema.
"Most of our players were struggling with
their touch, but I was pleased with the mental
toughness they showed. It's not easy to be
down a goal with less than 15 minutes to
go and still believe you can come back and win it."
Foresters
4-1 in MCC
For
the second straight game, the Foresters had four
different players score goals, resulting in a 5-1
victory over Marian College. The win is a
program record eighth on the season against five
losses and moves them to 4-1 in the MCC. In the 16th
minute Erin Abbey passed the ball back out to Mindy
Sincler who had just taken a corner kick. Sincler
shot the ball over the keeper and into the side
netting for the goal. Nine minutes later Kara Fultz
dribbled the ball up the left side from her center
midfield position and fired on goal. The ball
deflected off the head of a Marian defender for the
goal. Marian halved the lead with a goal in the 35th
minute but Huntington regained the two goal
advantage in the 42nd minute when Christi Shook
worked a give and go with Joy Bamford and scored.
In the second half, HC got off to a great start when
Erin Abbey headed in a cross from Kristyn Bollig one
minute into the period, putting the Foresters firmly
in control of the match. Shook added a 5th goal in
the 63rd minute when she stole the ball from a
Marian center back near midfield and went the
distance to score. "We
showed a little more patience today and that helped
our passing game," said Coach Datema.
"Once we got the passing going we created a lot
of chances."
Foresters Outlast Cornerstone
The Foresters outlasted the
Cornerstone Golden Eagles to come away with a 4-3 win,
avenging their 4-0 loss of a year ago. HC's Erin
Abbey got the first goal of the game in the 11th minute to
get things rolling. Christi Shook fed Abbey who found
enough room to score from 20 yards. Cornerstone responded
just three minutes later with a goal of their own.
Kara Fultz put HC back in front when she took a pass from
Kristyn Bollig, dribbled into the penalty box, and fired
past the Cornerstone keeper. The Foresters added a
third goal with just five seconds remaining in the first
half. When a Golden Eagle was whistled for a foul 25 yards
from goal, Mindy Sincler quickly set the ball and scored
off the free kick just in time. Cornerstone got
right back into the game just three minutes later when
they converted on a penalty kick. HC pushed the lead
back to two goals in the 68th minute when Erin Abbey's
shot ricocheted off the cross bar right to Shook who
guided it home. Once again Cornerstone responded with a
goal in the 84th minute to set up a frantic final six
minutes, but the Forester defense held, giving the women a
program record seventh win of the season. "We
played with a lot more movement and composure today
compared to last Saturday," said Coach Datema. "I
think the fact that four different players scored reflects
the fact that as a whole we were a lot more active."
The women improve to 7-5 on the season.
Foresters Fall Prey to Cougars
Playing before a Homecoming
crowd, the Foresters did not come up with their best effort
and fell prey to the Cougars of Spring Arbor University
4-0. The match started evenly with both teams trading
scoring chances, but as the first half wore on, Spring Arbor
began to take control of the match. The Cougars finally put
one in just two minutes before the half. Then just 4
minutes into the second half Spring Arbor doubled its lead
on a long shot from the right side, and went on to dominate
the match, scoring two more goals to put the Foresters
away. "Our team is going to need to do some soul
searching after this one," said Coach Datema.
"We played way below the skill level we are capable of
playing. I think we are putting to much pressure on
ourselves and that's keeping us from executing some
fundamental skills." The women now stands at 6-5
on the year.
IWU Too Much For Foresters
Playing against one of the top
teams in the area, the Foresters held Indiana Wesleyan
scoreless for a half but succumbed to the Wildcats' pressure
in the second half, falling 6-0. IWU got their game on track
with a goal in the 47th minute, and followed it up with a
second goal in the 58th minute. The Foresters were still
in the game, and continued to produce a few counter attacks,
but were unable to score. HC then appeared to hit the wall and
gave up three goals in a 5 minute span with IWU scoring in the
69th, 71st and 74th minutes. IWU completed the scoring
with one more goal in the 88th minute. HC's goalkeeper,
Liz Ballard, recorded 19 saves in the game. "IWU
is one of the best teams in the area and we kind of look to
this game to tell us how we measure up," said Coach
Datema. "We knew we needed to defend and then
counter attack and we did that in the first half. But their
depth was just too much for us." The loss, which
was their first in conference play, drops them to 6-4 on the
season and 3-1 in the MCC.
Foresters Remain Undefeated in MCC
The women's soccer team recorded
their fifth shutout of the year with a 4-0 win over Bethel
College to remain undefeated in MCC play. The Foresters
came out strong, scoring twice in the first twenty minutes and
never looked back. Erin Abbey opened the scoring in the
16th minute on an assist from Christi Shook. Three minutes
later, Annie Zeller played a free kick just wide of the far
post, which Abbey headed past the Bethel keeper. In the
second half Bethel turned up the pressure for the first 20
minutes, but were unable to break through. In the 76th minute
Mindy Sincler dribbled through the left side of the Bethel
defense and fired a shot wide of the far post. Shook
was there waiting and slotted the ball into the open net.
Two minutes later, Shook dribbled down the end line and again
shot past the Bethel keeper to complete the scoring. With
Abbey's two goals, she now owns the school record for most goals
in a season with 12, surpassing Kara Shoemaker's previous record
of 10. Shook also eclipsed the previous mark as she
recorded her 10th and 11th goals of the season. "Our
offense was working well today. We did have a let down for the
first 20 minutes of the second half but we were able to get back
on track and finish off the game," said Coach Datema. The
Foresters now stand at 6-3 on the year and 3-0 in the MCC.
Foresters 2-0 in MCC
The women's soccer team moved to 2-0
in the MCC Conference with a 2-0 win over Goshen College. Neither
team was able to put together a sustained attack in the first
half, resulting in a scoreless tie at the half. In the second
half, HC's intensity improved resulting in several scoring
opportunities. In spite of more chances it wasn't until the 81st
minute that Christi Shook scored the first goal of the match. Erin
Abbey took a shot from 25 yards that deflected off the cross bar
into the path of Shook who tucked it past the Goshen keeper. Abbey
completed the scoring off of a feed from Shook just seconds before
the final whistle. "We
were very tight to start the game and we were lucky to get through
the first half with a 0-0 score," said Coach Datema.
"I was more pleased in the second half even though it took us
so long to score. We had several quality chances and we were much
sharper on defense." The women now stand at 5-3 on the
year and 2-0 in the MCC.
Soggy Conditions Hinder Foresters
The Foresters let a 1-0 half time lead
slip away and lost 3-1 to Tri-State University. The game was halted
for about 35 minutes at the 8 minute mark due to lightning, but then
play continued in extremely wet conditions. Both teams had a
difficult time dealing with large amounts of standing water on the
field but HC was able to score a goal just before half time when
Christi shook netted an assist by Mindy Sincler. Tri-State tied the
game in the 59th minute and then went ahead just 6 minutes later.
They then added a 3rd goal in the 79th minute to complete the
scoring. "The field conditions took away our ability to counter
attack and that is one of our strengths," said Coach Datema.
"We had several breakaways break down because of standing
water. In spite of that I felt we had plenty of opportunities to win
the game and we didn't take advantage of them. That was
disappointing." Huntington is now 4-3 on the year.
Foresters Drop Franklin 2-0
Christi Shook made a triumphant return to
her home town as the Foresters defeated Franklin College 2-0.
Shook headed home a cross from Erin Abbey to give HC the lead in the
19th minute. Shook then returned the favor in the 79th minute as Abbey
made it 2-0. Forester keeper Liz Ballard was solid in goal as
she recorded her third shutout of the season. "I'm very happy for
Christi," said Coach Datema. "Quite a few people
turned out to watch the match and she had a great game. The rest of
our team played well too. We have a few injuries and this was a game
we had to just grind out for the win. It wasn't pretty, just hard
work." The win lifts the Foresters to 4-2 on the
season.
Foresters Felled By Trolls
The Foresters fought hard to the end, but could not keep
up with Trinity Christian's speed up front and fell 5-3. The
Trolls got on the board first with the only goal of the first half
coming in the 39th minute. HC answered 11 minutes into the second
half when Sabrina Cohee set up Christi Shook for the equalizer.
Shook struck again two minutes later on a cross from Erin Abbey to take
the lead. TCC evened the match ten minutes later and then regained
the lead by scoring two quick goals in the 70th and 72nd minutes. The
first was off of an indirect free kick just 6 yards from the goal and
the next on a penalty kick. The Foresters rallied again when Erin
Abbey scored in the 80th minute on another assist by Cohee to move
within one goal of the Trolls at 4-3. The rally fell short with
TCC's fifth goal of the match with four minutes remaining in
regulation. "Our first goal really turned the game around for
us," said Coach Datema. "I thought we were going to get
the momentum from there but TCC's speed up front eventually created too
many problems for us." The loss drops the women to 3-2 on the
year.
Manchester Blanks Foresters The Foresters' three game winning streak came to an end as Manchester College blanked the women while scoring three goals of their own. The Spartans set the tone early scoring their first goal just four minutes into the game, and put the game out of reach with a second goal 30 minutes later. In the second half, the Foresters began to even up possession but were unable to score. Manchester's third goal midway through the second half completed the scoring for the game. "We had a lot of players who really didn't play well today," said Coach Datema. "Much of that was due to Manchester's intensity. We did improve in the second half but it wasn't enough." The loss drops the women to 3-1 on the season. Foresters Remain Undefeated The Foresters kept their record perfect at 3-0 and moved to 1-0 in the MCC with a 4-2 victory over Grace College. Annie Zeller opened the scoring 19 minutes into the game on an assist by Mindy Sincler. At the 28 minute mark, Erin Abbey crossed from the left side finding Christi Shook who scored to make it 2-0. Abbey completed the scoring in the first half as she knocked in a cross from Sabrina Cohee. In the second half, Grace netted their first goal 27 minutes into the half. HC responded just three minutes later when Cohee dribbled up the middle and split the defense with a well placed pass that Abbey received in stride and drove past the Grace keeper. Grace scored again with eight minutes remaining, but were unable to rally the rest of the way. “I was really pleased with the way our team maintained their composure today," said Coach Datema. "The heat really took its toll and that can cause a team to lose focus. I was especially pleased with the maturity they showed after Grace scored. They didn’t panic and kept playing their game and that’s impressive from such a young team.” Foresters Get Second Shutout
The Foresters recorded their
second straight shutout of the season by defeating St. Mary of the Woods
College 3-0. HC's Megan Heyboer opened the scoring 9 minutes into
the game with a long shot from the left wing. Erin Abbey picked up
the assist on the play and dished out a second to Christi Shook who
slotted it home ten minutes later. Shook completed the scoring at
the 33 minute mark off an assist from Heyboer. In the second half
neither team was able to find the net. "We
didn't play as well as we would have liked but we still dominated
possession and had several good chances," said Coach Datema.
"Our defense was solid for the second straight game, which left keeper
Liz Ballard with not much to do." With the win, the women
move to 2-0 on the season.
Foresters Pound Bluffton College The Huntington College women’s soccer team started off the year with an 8-0 pounding of Bluffton College. Senior forward Erin Abbey scored a career high five goals, all in the first half, to singled-handedly put away the Beavers. Abbey opened the scoring in the first half off of an assist by Megan Heyboer. Abbey scored again when the Bluffton keeper misplayed a shot by Christi Shook. Abbey completed a hat trick by being in the right place at the right time when a shot by Mindy Sincler rebounded off the crossbar. Abbey found the net two more times in the first half even after being withdrawn from the front lines. In the second half, two Forester freshmen got the first goals of their young careers as Sincler netted two and Shook one. “Our defense was solid today and we were able to keep the ball in their half. When we do that it allows us to get a lot of players forward and good things happen,” said Coach Datema. |
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