By Nick Van Heest
It was a season of firsts for the Taylor women's soccer team.
The Trojans (13-5-1) played their first home night game, which they won, hosted their first conference tournament game, which they won, had three players named all-conference for the first time and tied the school record for wins.
But all good things come to an end, and a 2-0 defeat at Spring Arbor (17-2-1) Nov. 3 in the Crossroads League Tournament semifinal put an end to the Trojans' season.
Spring Arbor heaped pressure on Taylor's defense from the start, opening the scoring in the ninth minute of the game.
Neither team found the net for the rest of the half, as the Cougars' relentless attack kept the Trojans at bay.
"They took a lot of shots that had no chance of going in but kept the ball on our side of the field," said Head Coach Scott Stan.
The second half offered more of the same, and Spring Arbor scored the second and final goal in the 62nd minute.
Spring Arbor took 19 shots, 10 on goal, compared to Taylor's two shots, which were both on frame. The Cougars also held a 4-0 advantage in corner kicks.
"Spring Arbor was very skilled and far more physical than us at every position," Stan said. "It's hard to lose, but at least we lost to a really good team."
Stan recalled an example from the game to illustrate the difference between the teams.
"We had a ball crossed into (junior forward) Molly Drooger, and a Spring Arbor defender cleared the ball all the way to our goalie 80 yards away. We don't have people who kick like that on our team."
This game aside, the year has been full of bright spots for the Trojans, highlighted by senior midfielder Emily Von Raesfeld, senior defender Stephanie Kerstan and Drooger being selected as All-Crossroads League.
Drooger was also named Offensive Player of the Year for scoring 17 goals and breaking both the Taylor career goals record, 43, and the total points record, 94.
Von Raesfeld set Taylor's all-time assists record with 23, while Kerstan marshaled Taylor's defense to 10 shutouts this season.
Another highlight was defeating Indiana Wesleyan for the first time in 14 years.
"We received many encouraging texts after that game from former players, alumni, parents, professors and another school in our conference," said senior defender Natalie Wisely.
As the women's soccer program looks forward to next season, the contributions of this year's senior class will be missed.
"From day one, these girls wanted to improve even though they were already good," Stan said. "Their attitude became contagious, and their enthusiasm for getting this program grounded has helped us recruit strong classes ever since. They're done playing, but they have a legacy that stays here."
Wisely echoed Stan's thoughts.
"I am excited that the women's soccer program at Taylor has improved so much during my four years here and look forward to following their successes in the future."
Stan has high expectations for next season, and he has scheduled a five game block with four teams ranking in the top 25 in the nation to help the team prepare for conference.
"I'm predicting we'll go 18-0 and be national champs," Stan said, joking. "But in all seriousness, we will have great talent and be fun to watch, so I'm very optimistic about our chances."
