Huntington, IN — With another persistent, patient effort, the Goshen College men’s soccer team rung up another Mid-Central Conference win Wednesday afternoon, defeating Huntington University by a 3-0 score on the road. The win pushed the Leafs’ MCC record to 4-1 on the year, as well as giving fifth-year head coach Tavi Mounsithiraj his first win at Huntington’s stadium since taking over the program at the outset of the 2001 season.

“At last I can see what it feels like to win here,” Mounsithiraj joked following the match. “Huntington has been so tough for us at their place, and I’m so glad that this time around we were able to come away with a victory and another important conference contest.”

Unbeknownst to Mounsithiraj or his squad during the match was exactly how crucial a win over the Foresters would be for Goshen (11-1-1, 4-1), as the victory gave the Leafs sole possession of second place in the MCC standings. Bethel College defeated Indiana Wesleyan University by a 4-2 score in Mishawaka at the same time the Leafs were beating Huntington, further separating the league’s top two teams — Bethel and Goshen — from the rest.

Early in Wednesday’s match against the Foresters, however, it was Goshen that couldn’t seem to make its efforts come to fruition. Despite dominating possession from the opening kickoff and tripling up the Foresters in shots on goal, Mounsithiraj’s squad could not break the goal plane. A 10 to two advantage in corner kicks told the statistical story, but the Huntington scoreboard told a more important one: After 45 minutes of soccer, the match stood at a scoreless tie.

“I thought we did a great job right off the kickoff taking control of the match and in the first 10 minutes we got several shots on goal,” Mounsithiraj said “The Huntington keeper did a great job keeping us off the scoreboard. We had several point blank shots but could just not find the back of the net.”

That changed a bit after the midway point of the second period, however, as freshman phenom Cody Felton began to wear down the Forester defense. Constant runs toward Huntington’s back line finally paid off for Felton, as junior defender Joel Miller was able to send a long ball Felton’s way at the 61st minute. After a deft first touch, Felton calmly dribbled into the box and placed a crafty slider past the Forester goalkeeper, putting the match’s first point on the board while dealing a major psychological blow to Huntington, a team winless in MCC competition.

As has been the case in recent matches, Goshen again started to seethe following its first score. Greater ball control and deeper pressure up front led to another score from Felton less than 20 minutes later, as Felton’s shot was purposely deflected by a Forester defender’s hand. Despite this illegal attempt, Felton’s shot still found the back of the net following the deflection, leading to a three-minute caucus by game officials to decide whether or not Felton’s goal should be allowed. After a lengthy discussion, the officiating crew made the correct decision, allowing Felton’s goal to count following the handball.

The Leafs added a moot goal just three minutes later, when junior substitute Rueben Yoder received a no-look, off the heel pass from Felton inside the Forester 18-yard box. Yoder took control of the beautiful dish and chipped the ball over the head of the Huntington goalkeeper, putting an exclamation mark on a solidly-played game, according to Mounsithiraj.

“Again our defensive team of Joel Miller, (senior) James Graber, (junior) Adam Yoder and (junior) Jared Price did an awesome job of keeping the Huntington side from getting any good looks on the goal,” Mounsithiraj said. “(Junior goalkeeper) Craig Welscott picked up his seventh shut out of the season with the help of our defensive backs. It was a good win, but we’ve got work ahead of us with IWU coming to our place Saturday. They are playing really well lately.”

Goshen will host the Wildcats in a pivotal MCC match Saturday night at the Goshen College Soccer Complex. The Leafs will honor Graber and Nick Loewen in senior night festivities, as the match will be the final regular-season home event of the year. All proceeds from Saturday’s ticket sales will be donated to relief efforts of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation in the country’s southeast. Match time is set for 7 p.m.