“To Him be the glory.”
This phrase is what leads the Taylor women’s soccer team into each game. The Trojans break every huddle in a way that shows their faith by shouting this one phrase together. This includes their game on Aug. 30th that finished as a 1-1 draw against the University of Northwest Ohio Racers (UNOH).
This was the Trojan’s second draw of the season, as their previous game against Corban (OR) ended 1-1. Corban led in the first half and Taylor’s Morgan Fletemeyer tied up the game in the second half.
Ranked No. 5 in their conference, the Racers showed a preview of the competitive non-conference schedule the Trojans have ahead of them. The RV Taylor Trojans, only giving up two goals in their first four games, showed how prepared they truly are for the upcoming season.
The Trojans combined for a total of 16 shots, with eight being on goal and one finding the back of the net Meanwhile, the UNOH Racers ended the game with only five shots, three being on goal and one putting them on the board.
“Claire Massey is a very reliable person to get the ball in the air to,” senior Chloe Sena said. “She’s just confident in the air and so I know if I can get it to her head that she has an extremely high chance of it going in.”
Sena, a center forward, received her second assist of the season and ninth of her Taylor career. The Trojans have combined for a total of four assists so far this season. Sena is an all-around player, scoring two goals in Taylor’s previous game against Concordia (MI).
Massey attained her first goal of the season, a header, after she received a corner kick from Sena in the second half of the Aug. 30th game against UNOH. This gave Massey her seventh career goal to accompany her 13 career assists and added her to the list of six Trojan players who have combined for a total of eight goals in the first four games of the season.
The ball hit the net and the entire team rushed to celebrate, swarming Massey on the field.
“The mediator is Jesus, in the sense that He really does create a deeper bond and a deeper connection, whether (we) win or lose,” Massey said.
Another valuable player of the night was the Trojan’s goalie senior Hannah Brackenbury, who ended the night with two saves. Brackenbury finished the 2022 season with a total of 64 saves, with 38 being against non-conference teams.
Head coach Scott Stan was pleased with the outcome of the game due to the rigor of the opposition. He felt that his team should’ve been proud that they kept the competition alive against UNOH, who are reigning national qualifiers.
In preparation for the rest of the season, Stan said he plans to work with his team on intentionality when making shots as well as attacking through the final third.
While the game ended in a 1-1 draw, the Trojans were joined by their competition, the UNOH Racers, in a word of prayer.
“Even though it’s really competitive, it’s still Christ-centered… Northwest Ohio agreed to pray with us after the game being a completely secular school. So, it’s just kind of nice that (the Trojans) are letting who they are shine through their sport,” Stan said.
The Taylor Trojans finished last year’s season 13-5-2 when their season ended in the first round of the NAIA National Tournament. The Trojans' next game will be at home Tuesday, Sept. 19th at 4 p.m. against the Georgetown College Tigers.
