Sophomore Duo Leads the Trojans in their First Road Win of the Season

RICHMOND, Ind. – Taylor's women's soccer team continued its strong start to the 2021 season, defeating IU-East (2-3-0) in the team's first road match of the year. The Trojans are now 3-0 and have yet to allow a goal this season.

The Red Wolves began the match with energy, ripping off two shots in the opening five minutes, both of which were saved by Taylor goalie, Hannah Brackenbury. From that point on, however, the Trojans controlled the flow of the game.

After taking eight shots, five of which landed on frame, TU broke the 0-0 tie thanks to the craft of Trojan sophomore, Caroline Monberg. With just over two minutes remaining before intermission, Monberg scored her first goal of the 2021 campaign. The Colorado native's goal was unassisted, sending TU into the half with a 1-0 lead.

Taylor came out in the second half and continued to put the pressure on the Red Wolves' defense. Relentless in their attack, the Trojans took 10 more shots in the second half, nine of which landed on goal. While IU-East's goalie made a strong effort, TU tacked another goal on the board with just over 10 minutes left to play.

It was Monberg's fellow sophomore, Chloe Sena, who did the damage. The Illinois native notched her first goal of the 2021 season, after having scored two as a freshman in 2020. Sena's goal was also unassisted, as the Trojan sophomores seem to have a knack for doing things their own way.

While Monberg and Sena navigated their shots to the back of the net, several other Trojans pressured the Red Wolves' goalie by landing shots on goal. Seniors, Erin Teevans and Linli Tu, in particular, hounded the opponent's goal, each placing four and three shots on goal, respectively.

Hannah Brackenbury maintained her dynamite effort in goal, recording seven saves on each of IU-East's seven shots on goal. The sophomore goalie kept the net clean once again, preserving her perfect goals-against average of 0.00 on the year.

TU (3-0) will return to Turner Stadium for its next three games, in which the Trojans will take on Lawrence Tech (2-0-1), IU-Kokomo (0-2-1) and Georgetown College (2-2-0). On Friday, September 10, Taylor will look to begin the season 4-0 for the first time since 2016, when the team won its first nine games of the season.