Lincoln Reed | Echo
The Taylor men's soccer team advanced to the semifinals of the Crossroads League Tournament after a 3-2 victory over Bethel at home on Saturday.
The Trojans' aggressive offense was a crucial part of Saturday's win with 17 total shots and 14 on goal.
"We generated really good attacking opportunities," head coach Gary Ross said. "There were some of the most dynamic and beautiful attacking sequences that we have seen all year were created on Saturday."
The Trojans' offensive strategy spurred an early lead after senior forward Danny Cawley scored at the eight-minute mark in the first half and senior midfielder Tim Miller scored off a set-piece at minute 19.
"We came out and got out to a 2-0 lead and then, at halftime, we knew they would come back and fight hard," Ross said.
Bethel sought to change the momentum with a goal at the 54-minute mark. After several missed chances at the goal, Taylor struck the final blow when Cawley scored with 18 minutes left to play. Cawley raced past Bethel defenders down the left side to deliver a shot past the Bethel goalkeeper in the back corner of the goal.
"Danny Cawley was just absolutely fantastic," Ross said. "He's a guy who has done really well for us all year. I'd say it was the best performance he's had this year, if not in his entire career. He was just all over the place, he defended well and he attacked well and created really good scoring chances."
The win improves Taylor's record to 13-5 and gives the Trojans another match in the single-elimination conference tournament. Taylor will host conference rival and No. 6 seed Goshen on Saturday in the Crossroads League conference semifinals.Photograph by Josh Adams
