February 18, 2018
Lady Lancer Taylor Wingerden has quite the impressive soccer resume. She started playing soccer as a child, following in the footsteps of her 2 older sisters. Ever the competitor, she has come a long way from small school Palmyra-Macedon to playing for the Rochester Lancers.
At Palmyra-Macedon High School she scored 45 goals her senior season, finishing the top scorer in Section V, while also leading her team to a place in the Class BB Sectional Finals.
After playing 1 year at SUNY Fredonia, she transferred to Monroe Community College, playing for current Lady Lancers Head Coach Sal Galvano. She led them to an 18-2 record and a spot in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. She scored 17 goals and 10 assists, and was named a first-team All-Region III selection. After a stellar showing at the National Tournament, Wingerden was spotted by UT San Antonio coach Steve Ballard and offered a full athletic scholarship. In her 2 years at UTSA, she finished with 2 goals and 5 assists.
Having played for Galvano at MCC, she received a call from him last season when the roster was being formed. When he asked if she wanted to play at a high level, she said "that sounded like the greatest thing ever."
I had a chance to talk with Taylor as we discussed her growing up in a soccer family, playing Division I College Soccer, the upcoming 2018 season, her job as a farmer, and her being one of her teammate's favorite player.