Bryce Marsee, Contributor
The Taylor women's soccer team advanced to the second round of the Crossroads League Tournament after defeating Huntington 2-0 on the windy afternoon of Oct. 27. The win came after defeating the Foresters 1-0 in overtime just three days earlier.
"I thought we did a good job," said Head Coach Scott Stan. "I was really happy to control the first half because even a small wind really affects the way a game is played, but we did well."
In the 25th minute, senior Cara Johnson recorded her eighth goal of the season, finding the back of the net off an assist from sophomore Amanda Roden. The goal stood as the only goal of the half, giving the Trojans a 1-0 lead at halftime.
"Our goal going into halftime was to be tied 0-0, so going up 1-0 gave us a big mental edge," Stan said.
The Trojan defense, which held Huntington to just four shots in the game, continued to keep the Foresters' offense in check throughout the remainder of the match. One scare, however, came 20 minutes into the second half when Huntington forward Brittany Hartman broke away from the Trojan defense, only to have her shot blocked by an outstanding save from sophomore goalie Kristiana Griffith.
"That play was huge," Stan said. "Griffith has been awesome with just leading our team and making great plays when we need her."
Still with a one-goal lead, the Trojans all but sealed it with a goal by sophomore Dani Goecke in the 87th minute off an assist from freshman Courtney Selle.
The shutout came as no surprise, as the Trojan defense has continued to shut down opponents, allowing only one goal in the past five games, and recording their 10th shutout of the year.
"I think we have gotten it into our heads that we're not going to let anyone score," said senior defender Leah Beck. "We know we are going to get the shutout and we all work together and work for each other."
Junior Molly Drooger led Taylor with five shots, two of them on goal. Johnson finished with three, and Roden with two.
As the Trojans advance to the next round of the tournament, Stan is proud of the play and attitudes of his team.
"They are playing so well and playing together right now," Stan said. "We continue to have a problem almost every day where an outside defender is either sick or injured, so we are always having to replace them with someone else, but there are no egos or selfishness with any of our defenders."
With the loss, Huntington finishes its season with a school record of 12-6-1.
Taylor, now 13-4-1 on the year, turns its attention to the Spring Arbor Cougars. The Trojans fell to the Cougars earlier this month 3-2 in overtime. Because Spring Arbor holds the top seed in the tournament, Taylor will travel there for the Nov. 3 game.
"We are excited to be playing Spring Arbor again as they are one of the top six teams in the country," Stan said. "To win, we are going to have to play hard and smart for the entire 90 minutes. We also need to avoid any mental errors so that we don't give Spring Arbor a goal. However, if we play our best, we can beat anyone."
