Thompson Records Goal at No. 2 Spring Arbor in Rain-Drenched Night

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The RV Taylor women's soccer team (8-3-4, 3-2-2 CL) was defeated 3-1 by No. 2 Spring Arbor (13-0-1, 6-0-1) on a rainy Saturday night in Spring Arbor, Mich.

TU's offense struggled to push the ball up the field throughout the early portion of the match, and SAU capitalized by scoring goals in the 18th and 34th minutes of play to give the Cougars an early 2-0 lead.

Taylor's lone shot in the first half came courtesy of Brooke Cimini, who landed her shot on frame in a quality scoring opportunity in the 39th minute. Still, Hannah Brackenbury and the defense were able to limit the damage to just the two goals allowed at halftime.

The Trojans came out with more intensity to open the final 45 minutes, with a pair of Brackenbury saves allowing TU to take possession and generate some looks of its own.

With the rain pouring down midway through the second half, Taylor earned a corner kick after making multiple efforts deep in SAU territory. Claire Massey's corner, originally defended by multiple touches from the Cougars, deflected to Sydney Thompson in front of the net, where she kept her shot below the crossbar for the goal. Thompson's score, her second, was just the fourth goal allowed by Spring Arbor all season.

SAU answered back with a gut-punch, weather-aided goal from distance with 11 minutes remaining in the match to make it 3-1. Though the Trojans were able to gain possession a couple more times, the deficit was too much to overcome against the undefeated Cougars.

Brackenbury tallied seven saves on the night, while Thompson, Cimini and Lauren Collins each landed a shot on goal.

RV Taylor travels to Bethel (8-5-1, 4-3-0 CL) in its final scheduled road match of the regular season. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. in Mishawaka, Ind.