The Trojans scored in the first five minutes to take a 1-0 lead. That put Wabash on the attack. For the next 11 minutes the Little Giants shut donw the Taylor offensive attack and kept peppering the Taylor goalie with shots. Sixteen minutes into the match Todd Freeman (Hammond, IN/Hammond) took the ball down the left sideline, turned toward the goal and lifted a perfect crossing pass to the far post. Aguirre headed the ball past the goalie to tie the game.
Wabash had two more opportunities to score, but could not break the tie. Defensively the Little Giants turned aside the Trojans’ second-half offensive assault. Taylor increased its attack, firing several shots at Wabash goalie Graham Bailey (Evansville, IN/Evansville North). The sophomore goaltender faced nine shots on goal, turning aside eight in the game.
With three minutes left in the match, Sean McNulty (Ft. Wayne, IN/Bishop Luers) took the ball on the left side of the field and fired a pass to Aguirre in front of the goal. Aguirre redirected the pass with a quick shot that sailed into the right corner of the goal to give Wabash the victory.
“We scored two quality goals tonight,” said coach George Perry. “We had excellent movement away from the ball. Everyone worked hard on defense to keep two and three players back when Taylor threw its last attack at us. Our defensive spacing kept Taylor from creating any quick passes to their scorers on the front line."
Wabash managed 10 shots on goal in the game to match Taylor. The Trojans had 29 total shots, while Wabash fired 21 shots in the game.
The Little Giants (3-7, 0-3) will travel to Wittenberg on Saturday to resume North Coast Athletic Conference play. Wabash will face Allegheny College at 2 p.m. at Mud Hollow Field on Sunday afternoon.