Elgin, IL — Following a 4-1 loss at Judson College Thursday afternoon, it was hard to tell what was the worst of the bad news for the Goshen College women’s soccer team. One could make an argument for the injuries: Freshman Emmy Gibson (bruised shin), freshman Amy Clem (strained sartorius muscle – knee), sophomore Lucy Roth (strained foot ligament), junior Mary Jo Martin (ankle), junior Liz Martin (ankle), sophomore Kelsey Hartman (ACL), sophomore Diana Castillo (knee), and senior Tara Plank (calves) are all hobbled, available on a day to day basis.

Or one could argue the schedule: Goshen is in the midst of an NBA-like five game in 10-day stretch, with its Mid-Central Conference opener coming against Grace College in less than 48 hours.

Perhaps it is the vicious combination of both.

Regardless of the unrelenting schedule or the lack of time to heal completely, Goshen (1-6, 0-0) will do its best to recuperate and make a strong showing at the Goshen College Soccer Complex Saturday evening, at least according to assistant coach Tera Franklin.

“We’ve got a bunch of players that are all battling some kind of injury,” Franklin said. “That gives us about eight healthy players right now so these next few days could be tough. I am confident we will have people step up and carry us through these games until we can get a chance to rest our injured. We will have to play on heart, at least for the meantime.”

The Leafs displayed a ton of heart at the outset of Thursday’s match against the Lady Eagles, despite nearly a four-hour bus ride to the upper west suburbs of Chicago. Judson took advantage of a semi-sluggish Leafs’ start, but Goshen responded quickly. After surrendering a goal at the 14th-minute mark, sophomore forward Jodi Birkey was able to pick up a rebound putback off of a free kick by classmate Sara Groff, tying the game at the 17th-minute mark and putting the Leafs in a position to win.

“After a long bus ride we had a slow start and we were reacting to the ball a step late,” Franklin said. “Towards the middle of the first half we began to settle in and put together some nice combinations in our midfield, but could never really make a push in our attacking third of the field. We were able to tie the score up, however, when Sara Groff sent a free kick from 30 yards out towards the goal. The Judson goalie got a hand on the ball and deflected back out to an open area right in front of the goal where Jodi Birkey was able to find the ball for her first goal of the season and her career.”

Goshen was nearly able to finish out the remainder of the first half with no more kinks in the armor, but the host Lady Eagles were able to slide a score in just before the intermission horn sounded. Despite being outshot by a total 24 to three count for the match, the Leafs narrowly trailed by a 2-1 score at the half.

“At half time we talked about moving the ball much quicker and anticipating the next play,” Franklin said. “We emphasized the importance of moving toward the goal and attacking at a much quicker pace. We were able to pick up our speed of play a bit, but Judson was still able to find the back of the net two more times.”

Lady Eagle goals at the 57th- and 75th-minute marks added all the insurance the host squad would need, scoring one each on Gibson and Clem who shared time in the Goshen goal. Judson’s initial second period score came off a low cross from the corner which a Lady Eagle forward was able to one touch past Gibson; the second coming in a one on one opportunity against Clem.

Gibson found herself playing the forward position late in the second half while Clem went back to her original position of goalkeeper, each for reasons surrounding the injuries of both players.

“We tried some different things tonight with our line-up as we were forced to rest a few people more than usual due to injury and our upcoming conference schedule,” Franklin said. “I was pleased with the effort and toughness our girls showed tonight. Emmy Gibson had a strong showing in the field tonight. We put her up at the forward position because she has proved that she can create scoring opportunities. With Tara Plank’s minutes being limited, Emmy did a nice job of trying to attack and nearly had a one versus one opportunity with the goalie if she could have beat one more defender.”

Goshen will now savor each minute until Saturday’s 7 p.m. kick off time with MCC foe Grace College. That match is the second leg of a men’s-women’s double-header at the Goshen College Soccer Complex Saturday. The men’s team will face conference rival Spring Arbor University at 2 p.m. The women’s nightcap will be broadcast live on 91.1 FM The Globe. Click here for webcast information.