Trojans Fall to MVNU in Overtime
UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor men’s soccer team dropped its Crossroads League home-opener to Mount Vernon Nazarene, 3-2, on a game-winning goal with 46 seconds remaining in overtime.
Lewis Nisbet put TU on the board first, threading a shot from the left side of the box past the goalie to the lower right corner from eight yards out to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead with 39:56 left to play in the first half.
MVNU (7-4, 2-0 CL) equalized in the 35th minute with an unassisted goal from 12 yards out in the right side of the box.
The score remained 1-1 going into intermission, despite the Cougars holding an 8-3 shot advantage over the Purple and Gold.
The 1-1 tie was finally broken in the 81st minute, when Wes Shupe possessed the loose ball, dribbled into open space on the right side of the field and roped a shot into the upper left corner of the net from 25 yards out to put TU in front, 2-1, with 9:50 left to play in regulation.
Less than three minutes later, Mount Vernon equalized yet again and sent the contest into overtime.
The Cougars then netted the game-winner off a free kick with 46 seconds left in the overtime period to secure the 3-2 win for the visitors.
The Trojans outshot MVNU, 12-6, during the second half and overtime, giving TU a slight, 15-14 edge in shots for the entire game.
Taylor (4-3-2, 0-2 CL) will return to the pitch on Saturday at 2:00 pm, looking for its first Crossroads League win of the year in a road matchup at Grace (4-2-4, 1-0-1 CL).