Spring Arbor Tops Taylor in Top-25 Showdown

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – In front of a packed homecoming crowd, the No. 14 ranked Spring Arbor University women's soccer team delivered a dramatic 1-0 victory over No. 19 Taylor University on Saturday afternoon. 

Kayla Baar provided the late magic, scoring in the 86th minute, to send the Cougars to their third straight win.

THE BASICS

SCORE: (14) Spring Arbor 1, (19) Taylor 0

LOCATION: Spring Arbor, Mich. | Cougar Soccer Complex

RECORDS: Spring Arbor 7-1-4 (3-0-1 CL), Taylor 10-2-0 (2-2-0 CL)

MATCH SUMMARY

• The opening 45 minutes featured plenty of action from both sides with Taylor generating early pressure and holding a 6-3 shot advantage in the first half. The Cougars, however, stayed organized in front of goalkeeper Reagan Kohler, who made a crucial save in the 24th minute to deny the one of the Crossroads League's leading scorers, Eliza Luttrell, and keep the match scoreless heading into halftime.
• After the break, Spring Arbor found its rhythm and began to take control of possession. The Cougars outshot the Trojans 9-3 in the second half, testing the visiting defense repeatedly as momentum shifted.
• The breakthrough finally came in the 86th minute when Kayla Baar connected on the game-winner — her fourth goal of the season — to lift SAU to the statement win.
• Kohler finished with five saves in her sixth shutout of the year.

UP NEXT

Spring Arbor welcomes Mount Vernon Nazarene University to the Cougar Soccer Complex on Saturday, Oct. 11. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.