With November arriving, snow flying through the air and “Charlie Brown” television specials airing on ABC, that means only one thing: The World Series … and the first College Football Playoff Rankings … and also James Harden making his yearly trade request.
So maybe the end of October brings more than a few bells and whistles with it, but the main event for the 10 colleges of the Crossroads League (CL) will be the volleyball and men’s and women’s soccer tournaments and the men’s and women’s cross-country championships.
Taylor University has qualified for all five events — some squads as frontrunners, and some as underdogs. Here’s the breakdown for tournament week:
Men’s Soccer (4-11-1, 1-6-1):
On Oct. 29, the Trojans were faced with a sink-or-swim situation: Beat the Goshen Maple Leafs and advance to the CL Tournament, or stay home come November. Things looked bleak as the Leafs forced junior goalie Sam Spiegel to make three saves, but after 70 minutes, Taylor broke through.
Sophomore winger Caleb Ballard found the back of the net for his second goal of the season and put Taylor up 1-0. The Trojans’ defense wouldn’t allow Goshen another shot on goal as TU pulled through, locking themselves in as the final seed of the CL Tournament.
Their first match won’t be easy as the No. 4 Grace Lancers (13-3-1, 7-1-1) await on Nov. 4. Grace is coming off their first loss since Sept. 2, but are averaging 12.2 shots per game and defeated the Trojans in their matchup on Sept. 27 – 3-1. Taylor will have to stop the dynamic Lancers offense if they want a shot at advancing to the semifinals on Nov. 8.
No. 25 Women’s Soccer (10-3-4, 5-2-2):
Despite a rough patch between Sept. 30 and Oct. 21, where the Trojans went 1-2-2, the women’s soccer team finished the year with back-to-back wins over the Bethel Pilots and the Goshen Maple Leafs by a combined score of 9-2.
During their final two games, the Trojans had five separate goal scorers and eight different players assisting. Senior goalkeeper Hannah Brackenbury also showcased her athletic skills by saving 24 shots over the final four games of the year.
After breaking into the top 25 for the first time this season on head coach Scott Stan’s 250th career win, Taylor slots in as the three seed in the CL Tournament and will see a familiar face — Bethel (IN). On Nov. 4, the Trojans will look to continue their successful season at home and advance to the semifinals for the second straight year.
No. 12 Men’s Cross-Country (63-24):
When the lights shine bright, the Trojan men’s cross-country team is in its prime. After flirting with the bottom of the top 25, the men’s cross-country team gave their best performance of the season at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic, finishing fourth out of 23 colleges.
Taylor set records across the board: Their fourth-best team time in program history, freshman Nathan Burns and sophomore Ryan Hanak finished with the sixth and 11th-best individual times in school history, and 10 runners set their own personal bests.
For their efforts, the Trojans now sit as the No. 12 team in the NAIA, their highest spot of the year, and will race in the CL Championships at home in Upland, IN, on Nov. 3.
No. 4 Women’s Cross-Country (77-4):
The reigning champions may have finished third out of 23 colleges in the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic, but it took heroic efforts from No. 1 College of Idaho and No. 3 Saint Mary (Kan.) to take the top spots. 12 Trojans set personal records, and sophomore Noel VanderWall broke a program record, beating the previous time by just under a minute.
With one first-place vote in the NAIA Coaches Poll, the Trojans will enter as the favorites in a race with four other top-25 teams looking to take home a victory. However, any CL team looking to take out Taylor will have a mountain to climb. Every week Taylor has raced, a Trojan runner has taken the CL Runner of the Week, with VanderWall and senior Mollie Gamble taking home the award once each, and junior Audrey Brinkruff earning two on the year.
The No. 4 Trojans will look to win their 11th straight CL Championship right at home in Upland, IN on Nov. 3.
Volleyball (15-18, 5-13):
Despite a difficult season, the Trojans have navigated a brutally difficult CL, winning two of their last three games as they geared up for the CL Tournament.
Taylor will have their toughest matchup of the year ahead of them on Nov. 4. Not only will they face the top seed of the tournament, but the No. 1 ranked team in the NAIA — the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats.
Despite the odds, Taylor has more than enough firepower to combat IWU, with junior Gracie Conway (third in the CL in kills), sophomore Sarah Scott (11th in the CL in kills) and junior Jaylynn Dunsmore (17th in the CL in kills) leading the offense, and dynamic duo of sophomore McKaylah Flagle (second in the CL in digs) and junior Grace Ieremia (fourth in the CL in total blocks) anchoring the defense.
