Gole Equalizer Secures Draw with No. 20 Grace in Season Finale
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
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0 | 2 | 2 |
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1 | 1 | 2 |
Team Stats
#20 Grace
| Game Statistics | #20 Grace | Taylor |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 11 (6) | 11 (7) |
| Saves | 4 | 4 |
| Fouls | 15 | 12 |
| Corner Kicks | 1 | 7 |
| Offsides | 5 | 1 |
UPLAND, Ind. – An 86th minute equalizer from Luka Gole salvaged a 2-2 draw for Taylor against No. 20 Grace during a wild and windy Wednesday night at Turner Stadium.
Leading 1-0 throughout most of the night, the Trojans were forced to rally after surrendering a pair of quick succession goals to Grace's Diego Yanes, the squad's leading scorer, who converted a penalty in the 80th minute before netting the go-ahead strike less than two minutes later.
With less than five minutes remaining and trailing 2-1, TU pushed forward as Caden Harrison found Giulio Mapessa streaking down the left-wing channel. Mapessa sent the ball into the box, where Tadé Adeyemi redirected the pass to Gole for a close-range finish and his second goal of the season.
TU grabbed the 1-0 halftime lead after an own goal was knocked in by a Grace defender in the 35th minute, as Adeyemi and Mapessa were involved again, competing for a header chance at the edge of the box. The scoring play started with a powerful free kick sent in from midfield by Justin Devlin.
The Trojans controlled the early action with three corners, including a header chance on frame by Caleb Van Dop in the first minute of the match.
Both teams produced 11 shots overall, with TU generating seven in the first half and Grace turning it on with eight tries in the second period. Devlin, Gole and Van Dop each tallied two shots on goal. Connor Shaw stopped four shots between the posts, closing out his sophomore campaign with 62 saves.
With the result, TU finished the first season under the leadership of head coach Parker Aaron with an overall record of 7-7-3 (1-5-3 CL). The Trojans narrowly missed the final qualifying spot in the Crossroads League Championship. Grace moved to 11-4-3 (5-3-1 CL) overall and finished in three-way tie for third place in the league table.
