By: Lincoln Reed | Sports Editor
The Taylor men's soccer team recorded the program's 300th win Saturday against the University of Saint Francis (IL) with a score of 5-2.
The Trojans took the offensive early after sophomore Sam Hardy assisted sophomore Lewis Nisbet in shooting a goal past the St. Francis goalkeeper in the first four minutes of the game. Nisbet was named the Crossroads League Offensive Player of the Week and collected a total of three goals and two assists in Taylor's games against Judson and Saint Francis.
"We knew we had to finish them early," Nisbet said. "We got a goal off in like four minutes. So from then it was just about sealing the game off and closing them out early on."
For the next 20 minutes, the Trojans possessed full control of the game. Taylor extended its lead when Hardy connected with senior Rocky Byrd at the 24:32 mark for another goal.
"Rocky Byrd was fantastic this weekend," said head coach Gary Ross. "He's been on fire."
Saint Francis rallied two minutes later and managed to sneak a goal past the Trojan goalkeeper to make the score 2-1. Taylor responded at 31:56 when Nisbet passed to sophomore Gabe Saliba, who skillfully extended the lead to 3-1.
The Trojans ruled the second half and outscored St. Francis 2-1 with goals by Nisbet and Hardy. Overall, Taylor surpassed Saint Francis with 10 shots on goal and five assists. Moving forward, the Trojans plan to solidify their defense.
"The biggest thing for us is shoring up the defensive shape and making sure that we get our spacing figured out," Ross said. "Once we do that, I think things will start to look a lot better."
Taylor looks to improve their record to 2-1-1 when they take on Saint Catherine's College at home tonight at 7 p.m.
Photograph by TU Sports Information Department
