MARION, Ind. - Indiana Wesleyan Club Men's Soccer battled back from an early deficit Friday night to defeat Huntington 3-2 under the lights. Huntington struck first inside the opening five minutes, taking advantage of a slow start from the Wildcats to take a 1-0 lead. The Wildcats responded with tremendous resilience, scoring three goals in the first half to completely turn the game around. Clark Marti found the back of the net twice, while Gabe Carro added another from the penalty spot as IWU took a 3-1 lead into halftime.

Huntington came out with renewed energy in the second half and piled on the pressure, forcing the Wildcats to defend for long stretches. Eli Falkenberg had three opportunities to extend the Wildcats' lead, but Huntington's goalkeeper came up with several excellent saves to keep his team within striking distance. With 10 minutes remaining, Huntington pulled another goal back from a free kick following an error in the Wildcats' back line, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Huntington pushed forward in search of an equalizer and threw numbers into the attack late, but the Wildcats stood strong defensively and refused to break. IWU's resilience and defensive effort saw them through the final whistle as the Wildcats secured another hard-fought 3-2 victory.

Coach's Corner

We spoke with Head Coach Justin Devlin following the match:

"It was great resilience from the boys to come back. I could feel a slow start after the warm-up we had, but credit to the guys—they never gave up and were able to rally together to find the answers quickly. We've talked about being together a lot this year, and I think this game showed it. Huntington's goalkeeper had a day, and I'm looking forward to the return leg against them."

Final

IWU Academy 3, Huntington 2

Goals:
? Clark Marti
? Clark Marti
? Gabe Carreo — PK

The Wildcats will be back in action Monday, October 5, at home against UNOH. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 PM at Troyer Soccer Field.

Come out and support the Wildcats!

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