Taft, looking for their first away win of the season, took on a Kent side on a very breezy Saturday afternoon. The home side was immediately put under pressure by a spirited Taft press, where wave after wave of attack resulted in several near misses. The resolute Kent defense was finally breached when an excellent long-range shot from Ellie Taylor evaded the gloves of the diving keeper to make it 1-0. Taft kept their foot on the accelerator, and a penalty box melee resulted in the ball eventually dropping to Anavi Angst, who expertly put the ball into the back of the net from close range. Angst was a constant thorn in Kent’s side, with her pace going forward but also her tenacity in winning the ball back in defense. Unfortunately, her goal also came at the loss of Vivian Peterson, who took a hard shot to the face in the melee and had to miss the rest of the game. The team applauds Vivian for her tenacity and bravery, and hope she’s back on the field soon. With a raft of changes and worry for their teammate, Taft lost a bit of composure and were unable to maintain the control on the game that they began with. That changed when Georgia Lowenberg was fouled in the box for a penalty. She stepped up to take the spot-kick, and finished calmly and professionally into the top corner. The half ended 3-0 in Taft’s favor. While Taft were able to maintain their dominance in the second-half, a defensive mix-up resulted in an own goal early on after the break, and brought Kent right back into the match. Minutes later, the hosts pulled another goal back through some smart forward play. Taft could easily have panicked but, instead, began to reassert their dominance on the game with some concerted build-up play. Numerous shots went just wide. Just when it felt like Taft were destined not to score again, Taylor came through with a clutch goal which all but sealed victory for the team. Taft continued to press until the final whistle but could not add to the scoreline and the game finished 4-2 in Taft’s favor. The coaches are proud the team managed to achieve their first away win of the season, and were more than pleased with their hard work and grit on the field. A pleasing day and on to the next game!