BY: Gabe Bain, Sports Editor
Published: Sept. 7, 2012
The Taylor men's soccer team edged out another victory in an overtime thriller against the Asbury University Eagles. The Trojans (4-1) gave the Eagles (2-2) their second loss of the season in the 2-1 victory Sept. 4 in Kentucky.
Asbury managed to get its only goal against freshman goalkeeper Michael Williams 20 minutes into the contest. Taylor could not get anything started in the first half as they were held scoreless for the first 43 minutes of the game.
Right before halftime, freshman Josh Beachler was able to get a quick shot into the goal to tie the game. It was Beachler's third straight game with a goal.
"We scored just before halftime, which was a big moment for us and lifted us for the second half," said sophomore forward Danny Cawley. "We knew if we stuck to our game plan of being patient and possessing and won our 50/50 balls that we were good enough to win."
The 1-1 score flashed in front of the Trojans as they walked off the field at halftime.
Head Coach Gary Ross said the key to victory for his team was to overcome the first half struggles and play together as a team.
Both teams came out battling in the second half. Taylor took three shots at the goal within the first five minutes, but none went in.
Williams added two more saves in the second half, with the second coming off a header in the 86th minute of the game. Beachler, Cawley and sophomore midfielder Tim Miller each had a shot at the goal within the last four minutes of the half, but all attempts were unsuccessful.
The Trojans showed a lot of improvement and energy in the second half as they forced overtime against the Eagles on their home field.
"We had a lot of guys step up and play hard in the second half," Ross said. "They played selflessly . . . and were very patient."
After their strong performance in the second half, Beachler said the team was confident going into overtime.
The start of overtime, which was familiar to the Trojans, having won in overtime just a few games earlier, left many wondering if the nationally-ranked team could continue their success.
In the 95th minute, Asbury took one more shot at the goal, but Williams was able to save it, making seven saves for the game.
As the 99th minute came, a Cawley corner kick led to the game-winning goal when freshman defender Josh Urban placed the ball in the net to send the Trojans on to victory.
"It felt great to score giving the team a hard fought win," Urban said.
The Trojans will look to continue their early success by making a few adjustments when they take on Holy Cross (Ind.) at home at 4 p.m. Sept. 7.
"I think we need to come out strong and have a better first half," Beachler said. "It's pretty difficult to pick things back up when you have a slow start."
