BY: Nick Van Heest, Sports Writer
Published: Sept. 14, 2012
The men's soccer team learned the hard way on Sept. 11 that sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way. St. Xavier, who eliminated the Trojans in last year's NAIA National Tournament Opening Round, handed Taylor its second straight loss in a back-and-forth match that ended 3-2.
The Trojans (5-3) found themselves in a hole after an own goal in the 19th minute but fought back to equalize through a goal by freshman defender Josh Urban in the 40th minute.
Sophomore forward Danny Cawley curled in a corner kick from the right, which slipped under a defender's leg to reach Urban, who side-volleyed it home from close range.
The teams went into the halftime break tied 1-1, but St. Xavier reclaimed the lead in the 47th minute through another own goal. The Trojans only needed three minutes to fight back this time, as sophomore forward Tim Daniels was fouled 25 yards away from St. Xavier's goal.
On the ensuing free kick, Cawley bent the ball over the wall and into the top corner of the net, his third goal this year off a set piece.
But the tie lasted only six minutes until St. Xavier beat the Trojans' back line to score the match-winner in the 56th minute.
Both teams managed eight shots, with all eight of St. Xavier's on goal compared to five of Taylor's.
"While the final result wasn't what we had hoped for, we can walk away with our heads held high knowing that despite some unlucky bounces, we had done enough to beat one of the better teams in the country," said junior defender Kevin Miller.
Despite the defeat, the team stood proud of its efforts.
"I thought the team fought well and gave an excellent effort," said senior defender David Pfeifer. "We had a couple bizarre and unfortunate own goals, but we found ways to fight back and score."
The No. 21 Trojans have had all but one of their matches decided by a single goal, including three overtime victories.
"It's a grind whenever you're in that many close games," said Head Coach Gary Ross.
"On the one hand it's problematic that we keep giving up goals at the beginning of matches, but on the other hand we're demonstrating that we have the fight to win."
Following the away match Saturday, conference play kicks off.
"The only thing that matters is conference," Ross said. "If we're going to reach the national tournament and make it one step farther than we did last year, we need to win our conference tournament. All these non-conference matches help us become more resilient."
As the reigning conference champions, the team knows it has a target on its back.
"We need to stick to and believe in the system, our coaches, and each other," Pfeifer said. "We don't need to rise to any occasion, we just have to take one game at a time."
The Trojans' next match is Sept. 15 at Marygrove College, Mich.
