For many athletes, being thrust into a major role for a perennial championship-contending team with a long history of success in just their second year would seem like a daunting task. Miri Taylor of the women’s soccer team, however, has stepped up her game and become a deadly weapon for the Pride in her sophomore campaign.
The 2018 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Rookie of the Year has dazzled through 15 matches in the 2019 regular season, ranking second on the team in points accumulated with 19. She’s tied with Sabrina Bryan for second in goals scored with six, and is second in assists with seven. Of her six goals, four were game-winners.
“Last year I played quite regularly, which I was really happy with, but I had never played striker before,” Taylor said. “I think last year, while playing striker, I was a bit unaware of what to do, and I was one of the younger players on the pitch. Now I feel like I’m getting into my role a bit more, understanding what to do and where to be, and obviously our leaders on the team are fantastic. We help each other a lot.”
Soccer, or football as the Gillingham, England, native also calls it, has been a part of Taylor’s life since her childhood.
“Growing up, I was doing soccer mixed with ballet because my mum wanted me to take ballet, and my dad preferred soccer. All my friends at school were boys, and I went down the soccer route because all my friends were following it, so I went to a local boys team when I was around 8 years old, which is quite late.”
Despite getting started in the sport admittedly late, Taylor quickly took to soccer and played throughout her schooling. She spent five years playing with the development team for Chelsea Ladies Football Club before she was selected to make her debut for the squad’s first team in October of 2016. Just 16 years old at the time, her selection made her the second-youngest athlete to ever suit up for the team.
With Chelsea’s development team, Taylor earned a Reserves League championship in 2017. The next year, after signing with Arsenal Ladies Football Club, she won another, tallying six goals and 25 assists.
She played for England’s U15 and U17 teams, accumulating 21 caps between the two. With the U17 team, she reached the team’s first draw with the United States in their history, as well as their first win over Germany and a title match at the European Finals. Taylor lists these experiences as building the tolerance to high pressure that she’s showcased throughout her career with the Pride.
“Especially in big games, I feel like I can handle the pressure a bit more just because I’ve experienced it,” she said. “The game against Germany was such a tough game; against America, [another] tough game; so I feel like I can handle the pressure because I’ve been there. A lot of the other girls on this team have been in the same position, and we all know we can do it, so I feel like we all lean on each other and have a lot of experience.”
After a stint on the boys’ soccer team with Soccer Elite Football Academy in the 2017-18 season, she joined the defending CAA champions for the 2018 season. The transition from England to America came with its challenges, and the style of soccer played in her new home was one of them.
“I think it’s massively different [from English soccer],” Taylor said. “Me and all the other international players from England, New Zealand and everywhere have had to adapt a lot to soccer here. It’s a lot faster and it’s more direct, but I think the transition from playing in England to playing in America has helped me a lot because it’s challenged me in different ways.”
“There’s always a transitional period, but I think we’re seeing the benefits of that now,” said Hofstra head coach Simon Riddiough. “Miri’s obviously a very talented player and has been for her two years [with Hofstra], but now she’s really improved herself physically. She’s fitter, stronger and faster than she was last year, and because of that athleticism she’s elevated her game to another level, as well.”
Despite the adjustments, Taylor played well in her freshman year with the team. She scored three goals, including a game winner against the University of Delaware, and made three assists. Two of those assists set up game-winning goals by her teammates, showcasing her keen ability for assists that is even more prevalent this year.
“I love to assist people,” she said. “It’s just as good as scoring in my eyes. In England, I was always a center midfielder, so that was always my role. I think playing up front now is helping me, because I assist the girls and I get on the end of their assists. It’s a collective unison that we’ve built.”
Now, after emerging as a prominent scorer and an intense, physical defender for the Pride, Taylor’s role with the team is the largest she’s had in her career. Her ability is not the only thing that makes her stand out on the field, however, as she plays each match with her sleeves rolled up to her shoulders.
“I just get so hot,” Taylor said. “Our tops are quite clingy so I just roll my sleeves up, and I don’t know if I look silly or not. But, now that I’ve done it once, I feel like I have to stick to it, so it’s almost a superstition now.”
The Pride hopes that for as long as Taylor’s sleeves are rolled up, their success continues to mount as they look to win their third-straight CAA championship this season.
Image courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
