No. 25 Taylor Shuts Out Bethel to Pick up Crucial CL Victory

MISHAWAKA, Ind. – The No. 25-ranked Taylor women's soccer team used three quick-strike, second-half goals to down Bethel (8-6-1, 4-4-0) 3-0 on another rainy Wednesday night on the road. The victory catapulted the Trojans past the Pilots and into a tie for third in the Crossroads League standings.

TU (9-3-4, 4-2-2) relied on its defense and the goalkeeping play of Hannah Brackenbury to keep Bethel at bay in the first half while the offense struggled to find its footing. The Trojans' senior goalie responded by denying all four of BU's shots on goal in the period to keep the match scoreless at the half.

Taylor was able to control possession much more readily after the intermission, when it outshot Bethel 12-4 over the final 45 minutes. As for the scoreboard, TU needed to see just one shot find the back of the net to begin racking up the goals.

The first of the Trojans' three second-half scores was generated on a corner kick, where Sarah Mullins was able to knock home a goal, with the assist credited to TU's leader in points, Chloe Sena. The goal marked Mullins' first of the season, and it helped her surpass 10 career points.

Less than a minute later, Campbell Massey got the Trojans on the run with a big boot downfield to Leah McQuade, who had nothing in between herself and the net besides green grass, raindrops and the BU goalie. The freshman cashed in on this opportunity for her seventh goal of the season to put TU on top, 2-0. Massey's assist was her second in as many games.

The Trojans were not done with their scoring yet, as Kiana Siefert lofted a ball from the corner in the 73rd minute to the awaiting Audrey Grimm, who promptly netted Taylor's third goal in less than 10 minutes to ice the game.

By match's end, TU owned an 18-10 advantage in shot attempts, and Brackenbury tallied six saves in the Trojans' sixth shutout of the year.

No. 25 Taylor closes the regular season at home versus Goshen (6-8-3, 1-6-1 CL) on Saturday at 7 p.m. With a win, the Trojans would clinch home-pitch advantage during the quarterfinals round of the Crossroads League Tournament, set to get underway on Nov. 4.