Trojans Suffer 3-1 Defeat at Aquinas

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Taylor University's men's soccer team surrendered a halftime lead and fell 3-1 to Aquinas during non-conference action on Saturday afternoon.

Taylor (5-2-0) controlled the first half and led 1-0 at the break, but Aquinas (1-2-1) built momentum in the final 45 minutes with three unanswered goals to claim its first victory of the season in the Saints' home opener.

Giulio Mapessa gave Taylor an early advantage in the 20th minute, heading home a corner kick from Justin Devlin. The goal marked Mapessa's second of the season and extended Devlin's point streak to four consecutive matches.

Aquinas, which hadn't played in more than 10 days, found its rhythm after halftime and equalized just two minutes into the second half. The Saints seized control with a header goal in the 65th minute before adding a penalty kick in the 80th minute.

Despite trailing, Taylor created several dangerous opportunities in the second half but failed to convert. Matt Yoder forced a save with a quality attempt in the 63rd minute, just before Aquinas took the lead. Carlos Sanabria nearly found an equalizer with a clean strike in the 71st minute, but Saints goalkeeper Dario Cela made another crucial save.

Both goalkeepers were busy throughout the contest, with Taylor's Connor Shaw and Cela each recording seven saves. The performance marked Shaw's season high and fell just one save short of his career-best eight saves, which came against Aquinas last season.

TU finished with the 13-11 edge in total shots, but Aquinas held the slight advantage in shots on goal, 10-8.

The loss marked Taylor's first road defeat of the season after winning its first three away matches. The Trojans had outscored opponents 15-5 through their first six games before Saturday's setback.

TU concludes its non-conference schedule Wednesday at Indiana University Columbus, before opening Crossroads League play against No. 10 Bethel a week later.