The #RV Taylor women's soccer team has been a staple of consistency under head coach Scott Stan. For the past 14 years they have always ended the season with a winning record.
With an overall record of 7-5-4 after drawing against Goshen 0-0 on Oct. 30, the success looks to continue this season
“Coach decided that this year he wanted to do a hard schedule of the teams that we were playing, so we went into this season knowing our games were going to be tougher than what we're used to in previous years,” junior forward Kiana Siefert said.
Siefert started the year off strong after scoring the lone goal in the opening draw against #RV Carroll University. Unfortunately, Seifert suffered a knee injury after a hot start to her junior season. After surgery, she recovered quickly and was able to bounce back to the pitch for the second half of the year.
Injuries have plagued the Trojans throughout the season with several key players going down before the upcoming Crossroads League Tournament quickly approaching.
“In the last four games (Oct. 5-19), we've lost three players to season-ending surgeries. So it kind of makes the season feel kind of weird,” Stan said, “Those are players that you're really counting on and they can't play now, so that's just really hard.”
Although there are injuries, Stan said he is 100% confident in the girls that are stepping into bigger roles.
On Oct. 27, Senior Night, the Trojans faced a strong Bethel that sat at 6-5-5. They honored seven seniors at halftime: midfielders Lauren Collins, Sarah Mullins and Emma Carrell, forwards Audrey Grimm and Sydney Thompson, and defenders Rachel Landis and Moriah Dunham
Taylor started the highlight event quickly, with Siefert making a strong run down the wing into the box, where she found sophomore forward Eliza Luttrell, who scored to give Taylor a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute. Bethel battled back in the second half, ultimately securing a 1-1 draw.
Stan hopes to go into the first round of the tournament with a lot of momentum. Taylor will face #RV Grace on Nov. 6 in the Crossroads League Tournament quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, the Taylor men's soccer team has been going through a season of transition as interim head coach Drew Glover took over after Gary Ross stepped down last year.
With a record of 5-8-3 after falling to Goshen 2-1 on Oct. 30, the Trojans have had an up-and-down season. Their young team has seen improvement throughout the season, and their overall record doesn’t show the whole story.
One of the highlights of the season was the Oct. 6th meeting with archrivals No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan at Turner Stadium.
The Trojans battled fiercely against the Wildcats, thanks to two goals from freshman forward Elias Munoz and eight saves by senior goalkeeper Sam Spiegel. He and the Taylor defense held IWU’s NAIA-leading offense to just two goals, their fewest in a match this season.
“Through that process, it has been so cool to see how the guys have daily bought into what we're doing,” Glover said, “So the best way I could put it is that it’s been a year of growth, and it's been fun to watch.”
The Trojans have played nine games this season that ended in either a draw or a one-goal difference.
In their final game of the season, the Trojans fell to Goshen at home 2-1 on Senior Day. Three seniors, Spiegel, forward Bryce Lawrence and midfielder Levi Yoder were honored on the field.
“We've shown every game this year that we can compete with the best teams,” Yoder said, “so I think we've got a good shot coming up.”
The Trojans barely missed the Crossroads League Tournament as the Saint Francis Cougars defeated Mount Vernon Nazarene 2-0 on Oct. 30, sneaking into the eighth seed over Taylor.
With a young roster, the Trojans will look to next season to build off of the improvements and gritty mentality from Glover’s first season.
