Early Strike Leads Taylor Past IU Columbus 2-0

COLUMBUS, Ind. – The Taylor University men's soccer team bounced back Wednesday to close out non-conference play with a 2-0 road shutout victory over Indiana University Columbus.

An early goal from Luke Smith in just the third minute of action put the Trojans ahead 1-0, as momentum jolted through the TU side. Smith cleaned up a free ball from close range and buried his second goal of the season.The play began off a free kick by Justin Devlin, which was headed by Giulio Mapessa into a line of Trojans, which led to a blocked shot attempt before Smith was able to put away the finishing touch.

Later on, Tadé Adeyemi extended TU's lead with a tally in the 28th minute – tying him for the team lead in goals with four on the season. Adeyemi finished with poise and held a defender off his hip, as Luka Gole slotted a perfect through ball to find Adeyemi on his run.

The pair of goals proved to be all the offense that was needed as the Trojans adjusted and tightened up the back line, taking the 2-0 lead into halftime and holding on through the rest of the match.

Mere moments later after the second goal, TU goalkeeper Connor Shaw preserved the shutout with an athletic play, as he backpedaled to his right and punched away a near-miss before the ball slipped inside the post.

Shaw finished with a pair of saves and made confident approaches throughout the night. The sophomore keeper earned his third clean sheet of the fall campaign and picked up his eighth career victory between the posts.

TU outshot IU Columbus 13-9 overall in the match, while producing an 8-2 advantage in shots on frame. The Trojans took seven corners, including five in the second half, while surrendering five total to the Crimson Pride.

Looking ahead, TU (6-2-0) will prepare for its conference-opening matchup against No. 7 Bethel (6-1-1) on Wednesday, Sept. 24. That contest is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at Turner Stadium.