Taylor Thomas '21 Recruiting Profile

    Being a 14-year-old girl from South Dakota has been both a blessing and a challenge. My state is not particularly popular in the soccer industry; therefore, I have not been able to obtain the highest level of training or have as many opportunities to show my skill that I would have liked. On the other hand, however, I have been taught to work tremendously hard for the things I want, and I've had the opportunity to participate in my former clubs' older boy’s team practices and tournaments, as well as the U19 girls team practices. I believe that this opportunity forced me to play faster and more aggressive, which are things that I needed to work on at the time, as I still continue to improve. Thanks to my wonderful parents, and my own determination, I have also been able to attend high level college camps such as Texas A&M, Duke, The University of Florida, The University of Virginia, and Stanford University where I have gotten to see just how much I am able to improve and to also learn what it takes to play at the college of my dreams. In my first year of ODP, I participated at the Region II Regional ID camp and also got offered to attend this past year; however, I was offered a starting spot for the Shattuck St-Mary’s U15 US Soccer Girls Development Academy team and took that opportunity instead, where I now compete at the highest level possible against the best of the best.  

   As a soccer player, I don’t like to define myself as a certain position or type of player, instead I like to be known as someone that ultimately does what the team needs. I like to be known as the person who sacrifices everything for the team, the person who gives it her all in every position (although I prefer midfield) in every situation while carrying the same passion and desire with me at all times. Most importantly, I like to be known as a leader, not only on the field, where I get to lead others with my voice as well as my play, but also off the field, where I get to show them what it’s like to not only be a good player, but a good person, daughter, sibling, student, and friend.

   I often find myself striving for excellence in all I do, especially in the classroom, as well as the field. One of my biggest role models in US soccer has been Megan Rapinoe, not only because of her feistiness and knowledge of the game, but because she doesn’t back down from a challenge and is always looking for moments to show her selflessness, which I believe reflects me as a player very well. As much as I enjoy scoring the winning goal for my team and beating the opposition in one on one situations, the satisfaction I feel after completing the perfect assist, corner kick, or long ball to a teammate is unreal. My body begins to tingle with enthusiasm as my adrenaline starts rushing through my body a bit faster and in those moments,I remember why I love the game.

   I would love the opportunity to attend a Division 1 level university where both soccer and academics are set to a high standard and where I picture myself contributing to the team right away. I look forward to the chance to continue to learn and improve my game throughout my years in college, all the while defining the type of person I want to become.