Box Score HUNTINGTON, IND. – Manchester University pushed National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' foe Huntington University tooth and nail Wednesday, Sept. 21.
The Spartans rallied back from a 3-1 halftime deficit due to the foot of junior midfielder Courtney Hersick (Plymouth, Ind.). She joined sophomore forward/midfielder Maranda Birmingham (Kouts, Ind.) at the top of the Black and Gold's goal chart with a hat trick, including two strikes that found the back of the Foresters' net just 24 seconds apart in the second half.
That pair of scores leveled the contest at 3-3 at HU's King Stadium. Huntington managed to counter less than a minute after the tying goal with one of their own, the eventual game-winner, in the 60th minute and hung on for a 4-3 decision.
In a match that saw plenty of offense with a combined 61 shots between the two sides, MU's duo of Birmingham and Hersick led the charge combining for 17 of the squad's 22. The underclasswoman goalkeeping tandem of sophomore Caroline Smith (Mason, Ohio) and freshman Kendal Baker (Kimmell, Ind.) managed 11 saves against a 39-shot attack for the home team.
The Spartans, slipping to 0-6, break from competition to prepare for their 2016 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opener at Hanover College Saturday, Oct. 1.
