Goshen, IN — If there was ever a time to stand up and earnestly congratulate an athletic team in defeat, Tuesday night at the Goshen College Soccer Complex was it.

Playing its third game in four days and having a roster that looked more like a physician’s patient list, the Goshen College women’s soccer team dropped a heartbreaking 1-0 decision to Mid-Central Conference foe Taylor University, it’s second conference loss of the season by that same, gut-wrenching score. With nagging injuries plaguing players at nearly every position and new ones seemingly arriving by the minute — two Leafs sustained bang-ups in pre-game warm ups with Taylor — Goshen head coach Thavisith Mounsithiraj was rightly pleased with his squad’s effort and heart following Tuesday night’s match.

“I thought we made some notable improvement from our previous games,” Mounsithiraj said. “Even though the stats show Taylor to have dominated this game, I feel at times we were the ones dictating the pace of the game. We had three quality chances at the goal which we didn’t finish that could have easily given us the momentum and the lead going into the end of the game. I am especially proud of the way our ladies hung in there with a very good Taylor team, especially considering our circumstances from the previous night. They showed a lot of heart.”

Among those “circumstances” was a scoreless, double-overtime affair with Calumet College on Monday evening, forcing Mounsithiraj’s team to take the field against Taylor less than 24 hours after stepping off of it against the Crimson Wave (click here for the Calumet College match recap). After an administrative scheduling error pushed the Leafs’ match with Taylor to Tuesday night from its supposed Wednesday afternoon start time, Mounsithiraj knew he would be asking a lot from his team: Goshen (1-8-1, 0-2) would have to play three matches in four days, including back-to-back nights during the academic week – the first time in the history of the 15-year program a Leafs team has had to perform that task.

Adding to the tribulations was the team’s growing injury list. Sophomore midfielder Lucy Roth suffered a pulled quadriceps during the match with Calumet, adding to an existing pulled ligament in her foot. Freshman goalkeeper Emmy Gibson suffered an injury while warming up Tuesday night, as did sophomore defender Liz Martin. Gibson jammed her right thumb while getting a sweat going in goal, while Martin re-sprained an already tender ankle during ball drills.

Still, Goshen persisted. Martin was the only player not to enter the match with the Lady Trojans while Roth played an inspired match in the midfield, creating chances when the ball was in play and limping noticeably when it was not.

Despite obvious fatigue, Mounsithiraj’s team stayed step for step with Taylor, even putting several scares in the Trojans late. Senior Tara Plank — nursing severely bruised calves — had two fastbreak opportunities in the second half, but could convert neither shot on goal for the all-important go-ahead score.

After a scoreless first half of play that saw both teams trade possession primarily in the center third of the field, things began to heat up in the second period. Taylor began to take advantage of Mounsithiraj’s tired, banged up squad, putting more of an offensive push on the Leafs’ defense.

Each time, however, Goshen held strong, led by the outstanding play of both Gibson and junior defender Hannah Eash. Gibson ended the match with a remarkable 18 saves, two of them coming off Taylor direct kicks and several more off Lady Trojan point-blank opportunities. Eash, meanwhile, displayed the same all-conference caliber level of play as she has all season, repeatedly thwarting one on one opportunities against various Taylor forwards.

“Emmy kept us in the game with many incredible saves tonight,” Mounsithiraj said. “She is really gaining confidence. Hannah Eash again played stellar defense, read the game well and did an excellent job of covering the ball.”

With just 5:46 remaining in regulation, however, things finally caught up with Mounsithiraj’s team. Taylor’s Sara Schupra was able to send a long ball down the far side of the field and gain a numbers advantage, centering the ball to Melissa Willard who blasted a 10-yard shot just past the outstretched arms of Gibson.

Incredibly, despite limited time and aching bodies, Goshen did not give up. The Leafs’ final offensive push garnered the team’s only corner kick of the night with just three minutes remaining, giving the team its best chance at an equalizer goal. Sophomore Claire Lagerwey’s send into the goal mouth came up short, however, and Taylor was able to knock the ball out of trouble, preserving the close win.

“Lucy Roth and Tara Plank both provided good combination play from the forward position, we just weren’t able to finish,” Mounsithiraj said. “We look forward to the next three days to rest everyone. We will come back tomorrow for a light workout.”

Goshen will finally have longer than 24 hours to again put on the game uniform, as the team will next travel to MCC foe Bethel College on Saturday. Match time is set for 1 p.m.