Jeff Yoder | Echo
On a rainy and windy night at Indiana Wesleyan, the Taylor-IWU rivalry showed signs of both a great match and a long night for the Trojans. The Wildcats sat on top of the Crossroads League standings with a spotless record while Taylor rested near the bottom.
IWU fired 21 shots to just six for Taylor. 10 of the Wildcats' attempts were on goal to just three for the Trojans. The stats said "blowout" but the determination and heart of the Trojans proved otherwise. Taylor persevered through a 2-0 deficit late in the contest to tame the Wildcats and escape the cross county rivalry with a 2-2 tie.
It was IWU who finally found the net twice in the second half after testing junior goalkeeper Michael Williams time and time again. Williams was rock solid throughout the contest, recording eight saves of shots on goal and a handful of deflections on IWU corner kicks.
With seven minutes left in the contest and a 2-0 IWU lead, junior forward Danny Cawley found the net off a David Maldonado corner kick to give TU a glimmer of hope. A desperate Taylor club knew they needed an equalizing goal to keep their postseason hopes alive. With just under two minutes remaining, the ball was deflected out for a Taylor corner kick. This corner kick, from Cawley this time, found Maldonado for a back post header to knot it up at two goals apiece with a minute to play.
A frustrated IWU squad brought a furious attack in the overtime periods but Williams was nothing short of spectacular in goal as the game ended in a 2-2 draw.
The Trojans will host Goshen this Saturday at 7 p.m. to decide their postseason fate.
Photography by Timothy P. Riethmiller
