The women’s soccer team clinched a conference tournament bid Oct. 17 with a 1-0 shut out of Indiana Wesleyan University. The Foresters’ lone goal came from freshman MaTea Knipsel in the first half of play. Knipsel is leading HU in both assists and shots this season. Autumn DeMott, freshman keeper, saved nine IWU shots.
Earlier in the week, the Foresters won in exciting fashion over the Taylor Trojans on the road. The end of regulation brought a 1-1 stalemate, in which Knipsel scored a first-half goal.
“The Taylor game was a tale of two halves,” said head coach Chris Tillett. “We played a quality first half creating good chances and a goal. The second half we were less patient.”
Two minutes into overtime, senior Bethany Quinn took a Taylor clearance attempt off her chest to score a goal over the Trojan keeper.
Tillet called his senior midfielder’s goal “well-deserved.” He said the key to his team’s season so far and in the remaining contests is the seniors’ abilities to set a tone.
“It is tough games like Taylor and IWU that you depend upon those seniors to carry you physically and emotionally,” Tillett said.
DeMott also registered 10 saves in the win. Her performance during the pair of games that week earned her Crossroads League Player of the Week honors.
Senior midfielder Rachel TerMarsch said Demott has improved throughout the season and is becoming a more confident and a vocal leader on the team.
“The more she plays the better she gets,” TerMarsch said. “It’s really awesome to see her skill and talent now and know that she is only going to get better from here.”
The men’s team also bested the Trojans, 2-1, Oct. 14 in overtime.
After freshman forward Matheus Louzada’s goal evened the score in the first half, both teams failed to find convert through the rest of regulation.
Forester keeper Troy Hester’s collected one of his seven saves with 22 seconds remaining to help his team hang on until the buzzer.
Eight minutes into extras, an Isaac Wust shot found the net and sealed the Forester win, the team’s first against conference foe Taylor since 2004. The goal was Wust’s third game-winning score in his career. He also leads his squad with nine goals this season.
Head coach Russ Lawson said the win was one of several examples throughout the season where his whole team was focused as a unit and played at a high level of execution.
“Looking back at the Taylor game, I was pleased with the grit that the boys displayed,” Lawson said. “Our back four were solid on the night, and we had some key plays made when called upon late in the second half.”
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