Justin Chapman | The Echo
The Taylor University men's soccer team earned the opportunity to make a run in the postseason. After finishing the season with a two-game win streak, the Trojans qualified for the Crossroads League Tournament.
Currently, the team has the eighth seed in the tournament. They will travel to play Bethel tomorrow, who is the number one seed. Earlier in the season, the Trojans lost 3-1 against the Pilots.
In the Trojans' final two regular season games, they first defeated Saint Francis on the road and then defeated Huntington at home. The Trojans outscored the teams in goals 12-1.
This season has brought some troubles for them, as two senior captains suffered major injuries. Additionally, in September, senior Andrew Luetkehans was diagnosed with cancer.
Despite the difficulties this season has brought, the team has rallied to make a postseason appearance. After the Indiana Wesleyan loss, the team had to make changes.
"We got the tar beaten out of us by Indiana Wesleyan, and it was fantastic. Probably the best thing that could've happened for us," head coach Gary Ross said.
Ross commented the reason the loss was good for the team was because it forced them to get angry. They knew they could no longer be willing to put up with what they had been seeing.
"I kept telling our guys all along, you haven't reached the point where you're no longer willing to put up with what you're seeing," Ross said.
Following that loss, the team had a heated debriefing. A couple of days later, the revitalized crew played Saint Francis.
Ross noted the team made some significant mental and emotional changes to rebound from their dry spell.
"We've been doing the same things; all it is is mental engagement. People are now more mentally engaged then they were at the beginning of the season," senior captain Nathan West said.
The team made a conscious effort to hone in on their mental and emotional focus. West knows the group has to show up tomorrow and play well, but he feels that the team is highly confident and ready to play.
In preparation for tomorrow's game, the team decided to get some rest in as well.
"This week we've trained super light, a lot of the guys who anticipate getting a lot of minutes haven't done all that much besides rest and take care of their bodies," junior Lewis Nisbet said.
The team watched several hours of film to prepare for the matchup with Bethel. Nisbet mentioned that the team has been paying close attention to the scouting report. Many players have looked over the thorough analysis of Bethel's system.
While this season for the Trojans has included tough times, the group feels confident going into the postseason. The game tomorrow will be held at Bethel College and will start at 7 p.m.
"Photograph by Fayth Glock"
