By: Kyle Keck | Sports Writer
A seemingly never-ending match came to an abrupt halt after the Taylor women's soccer team netted a goal in double-overtime to rise above Indiana Tech 2-1 on Friday.
The first half of play did not favor either team. Both Taylor and Indiana Tech were limited on their shots on goal. They had limited opportunities offensively, which left both teams empty-handed, causing the first half to result in a stalemate.
The theme of the scoreless event, however, quickly changed after a Taylor blunder. Just three minutes into the second half, Indiana Tech crossed a ball in front of the goal. Instead of the ball coming off of the foot of a Tech player, the ball ricocheted off of a Taylor defender and into the back of the Trojans' goal to give Tech a 1-0 lead.
After the mishap in their own box, Taylor quickly equalized the game 1-1. Junior Shelbi Lowe scored the tying goal eight minutes after Tech took the lead. Lowe was assisted on the goal by sophomore Nikki Zaino. The 1-1 score cemented itself into the scoreboard, resulting in another overtime for Taylor.
"Having just played an overtime game prior to Indiana Tech, I think we just really wanted to score fast," Zaino said.
Although the Trojans searched for an early score, their two shots in the first overtime period were not enough to end the match. The second overtime, however, favored Taylor as sophomore Megan Kammer sent a pass down field to an open Zaino. After receiving the pass, Zaino dribbled her way into the box and fired the game-winning shot past the goalkeeper to finally end the game at 2-1.
"I think we were all just relieved that we didn't have to play the whole 20 minutes of overtime and end up with a tie," Zaino said. "So I was very happy that I was able to help my team get the win that we all deserved."
Zaino has now scored three goals in her last four games, while junior Anna Miller posted four saves and received her third win in goal.
Taylor (3-2-1) will head to Ft. Wayne, Indiana on Sept. 18th to face IPFW.
Photograph by TU Sports Information Department
