#25 Trojans open season with seven goals at Bethel (Ind.)
Box Score MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- The 25th-ranked Trinity International women's soccer team opened the 2014 season in a big way, scoring a total of seven goals en route to a 7-3 victory on the road over the Bethel (Ind.) Pilots. Two Trojans finished with a pair of goals, in junior
Samantha Yasatan and freshman
Michele Streekstra.
Box Score | Season Stats | After a relatively quiet opening 20 minutes, Yasatan opened the scoring with her first goal of the season in the 23rd minute, catching the goalkeeper out of position. The Pilots answered quickly, as freshman Diana Diaz-Diurych scored for Bethel to make it a 1-1 match.
Streekstra put TIU back in front in the 30th minute, with her first collegiate goal, connecting with a teammate off a throw-in. Diaz-Diurych rallied to score another equalizer just four minutes later.
Senior
Rachel Blagg continued the assault, putting the Trojans back in front, 3-2 in the 37th minute. After five goals in 14 minutes, both sides would take a breather before ending the half. Although TIU held a one-goal edge, Bethel actually out-shot the Trojans 5-4 in the first half.
Junior
Morgan Elzinga tallied her first goal of the year in the 51st minute to continue the scoring, putting TIU ahead by two scores for the first time in the match. That lead would be shortened almost immediately, however, when Bethel's Lindsey Seifert put away her team's third goal of the night just two minutes later.
Kelsey Gill became the fifth Trojan to get on the scoresheet in the 60th minute, receiving the pass from Elzinga to give the Trojans a 5-3 advantage. To close the door for good, Streekstra and Yasatan both tallied goals in the 88th and 90th minutes, respectively, with Elzinga earning her second assist on Streekstra's goal.
The seven goals scored were the most by a Trojan squad since 2012, when TIU defeated Holy Cross by an 8-0 margin. Stretching back to last season, Yasatan has now scored two goals in each of her last three regular season games (St. Francis, Holy Cross, Nov. 2-6).
Nikki Post started the game at goalkeeper for the first time in her collegiate career. Normally patrolling the midfield, Post recorded four saves while earning the win.
The Trojans open up the new season with a 1-0 record, and will look to continue their winning ways next week. The team travels to Clarke (Iowa) on Wednesday, September 3 for an afternoon matchup, before returning to Schartner Field for their home opener against Indiana Wesleyan on Tuesday, September 9.
