What do Australia and New Zealand, Miami and Upland, Indiana have in common? Simply put, all three locations are 2023’s hotbed locations for soccer.
Spain outlasted England to take home their first Women’s World Cup on Aug. 20 in Sydney, Australia and Argentinian soccer star Lionel Messi is continuing his near-perfect career with a Leagues Cup victory, scoring goals at will for Inter Miami CF. But for Taylor University, the highlight of the soccer world is the return of Trojan soccer kicking back into high gear this August.
Both the men’s and women’s teams are coming into the year with the expectation of building on the previous year’s achievements, and both sides look poised to do so.
Last year, Taylor women’s soccer finished 13-5-2 in the regular season, ranked just outside the Top 25, reached the Crossroads League Tournament semi-finals and ended the year with an appearance in the NAIA National Tournament for the second time in history.
Senior starting goalkeeper Hannah Brackenbury said about the team’s expectations, “last year is definitely fuel on the fire for many of the returners. We not only want to return to the national tournament, but we want to get past the first round of games. Our other goal is to sit in the top 3 of our conference at the end of the season.”
Head coach Scott Stan has been at the helm for both of the program’s NAIA Tournament appearances and is looking to continue the success from last year.
“Our expectations are to trust the process, work hard, serve one another, and the results will come together if we improve a little each day,” Stan said. “Ideally, we have a great season and go back to the NAIA tournament, and perhaps as a host site.”
The team is more than equipped to turn a historically intense Crossroads League on its head. Now starting the year on the bubble of the Top 25, Taylor’s roster is one of the strongest they’ve ever had, boasting a lineup of 32 players. The influx of talent will only add to the star talent still on the squad as Taylor’s returning athletes found the back of the net 42 times last season, aiding a team average of 2.35 goals per game.
Brackenbury stopped 64 shots and, in tandem with a stalwart defensive line that Stan refers to as the ‘no goal patrol’ (NGP), held opponents to just 1.17 goals per game during last year’s regular season.
“(The team’s depth) creates a tough situation for our opponents when they scout us…the NGP will be back again and the offense has many weapons,” Stan said.
Meanwhile, the men’s side is hoping to improve on a 5-9-5 record from the previous season.
Their preseason training camp began with a trip to Northern Ireland for a week at the end of July into the beginning of August where the Trojans held practice games against semi-pro teams and shared the Gospel with opposing players.
“There was something special that happened on that trip. As many young guys and underclassmen as we have, we’re a very united and resilient type group,” starting defenseman Matt Harrold said. “We’re stacked. We’re amped up…we’re blessed with the group of guys we have right now, I feel like God has placed these boys here on purpose.”
Now back stateside, the Trojans had a warm-up friendly match on Aug. 16 before their season went underway.
On the offensive side, there will be an uphill battle as two of the top-five goal scores from last year have graduated; however, the players see no excuse to lower the bar.
“We’re looking at some goals that we’ve set together…we want to host a tournament game here (and) we want to bring recognition to the program,” Harrold said. “We want to set the tone. We’re coming in with positive attitudes and high hopes, and once we hit the ground running, it’s game time.”
Both squads will play eight games before entering into conference play in mid-September — the women’s team itching to return to the NAIA tournament for their second straight season and the men’s team eager to reach that illustrious tournament for the first time since 2011.
The women’s team (1–0) opened the year in Upland with a 5-0 victory against Concordia (MI) (0-2) on Aug. 17 and continue their season against Northwest (WA) (0-1) in Salem, Oregon on Aug. 24. Meanwhile, the men’s side (0-1) lost a grueling match 1-2 against Trinity Christian (1-0-1) on Aug. 22 and will try to bounce back against Judson (0-0-1) in Elgin, Illinois on Aug. 24.
