Taylor Aylmer (born September 23, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Spokane Zephyr FC in the USL Super League.

Taylor Aylmer
Aylmer with Racing Louisville FC in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth (1998-09-23) September 23, 1998 (age 26)[1]
Place of birth Garnerville, New York, U.S.
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 7+12 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Spokane Zephyr
Youth career
World Class FC
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2019 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 85 (4)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021 NJ/NY Gotham 0 (0)
2021–2022 Washington Spirit 22 (1)
2023 Åland United 11 (1)
2023 Racing Louisville 2 (0)
2024– Spokane Zephyr 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of July 21, 2023

Early life

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Raised in Garnerville, New York located north of New York City, Aylmer attended North Rockland High School where she played on the varsity team for four years[2] and captained the team in 2015.[3] The same year, she earned all-league, all-section, and all-state honors, and was named Player of the Year.[4][2] Aylmer led the team to the state finals her junior and senior year.[4]

Aylmer played for World Class FC in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL).[2] Excelling academically, she was named a 2015-16 NSCAA High School Scholar All-American[5] and was a member of the National Honor Society and Math, Science, English, and Social Studies Honor Society.[2]

College career

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Aylmer attended Rutgers University where she played for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's soccer team from 2016 to 2019.[2] She captained the team in 2019 and co-captained in 2018.[2] During her freshman year in 2016, she scored two goals and provided three assists in the 23 matches she played. She was named to the Big Ten Conference All-Freshman Team.[2] In 2017, she was a starting midfielder in 19 of the team's 21 matches. She scored a penalty kick — the game winner — in a 4–0 win against Monmouth University.[2] The same year, she as named 2017 Academic All-Big Ten for the first of three consecutive years.[2] As a junior, Aylmer was named co-captain and starting midfielder in all 20 matches.[2] As captain during her senior year, her nine assists ranked top on the team. She was named to the 2019 All-Region Second Team, All-Big Ten Third Team, Scholar All-Region Second Team and earned Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honors.[2][6]

Club career

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Aylmer registered for the 2020 NWSL College Draft, but was not selected. NJ/NY Gotham FC invited Aylmer to its 2020 pre-season camp, but play was suspended due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports. Washington Spirit invited Aylmer to train with the team during the 2020 NWSL Fall Series, but did not sign a contract with the club.[7]

NJ/NY Gotham FC

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Gotham FC signed Aylmer as a National Team Replacement Player in 2021.[7][8] She made her professional debut on April 14, 2021, during a 1–0 win against Orlando Pride in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup.[9] Gotham FC did not extend her contract beyond the national team replacement period.[7]

Washington Spirit

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Aylmer signed with the Spirit as a national team replacement player in the middle of the 2021 season, which the Spirit extended to a full contract for the remainder of the season on August 21, 2021.[10] In her first regular-season start on October 17, 2021, Aylmer scored a match-winning chip goal against OL Reign, her first league goal.[11]

Aylmer made 10 appearances during the season, including starting in the Spirit's first-round playoff match win against North Carolina Courage on November 7, 2021; and as a substitute during the semi-final win against OL Reign on November 14;[12] and as a substitute in the Spirit's 2021 championship finals victory.[7][13]

The Spirit re-signed Aylmer to a one-year contract with an option for an additional year in December 2021.[14] However, in November 2022, the Spirit did not exercise the option and waived her. Aylmer finished her Spirit career with 32 matches across all competitions.[15]

Åland United

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On April 1, Kansallinen Liiga club Åland United signed Aylmer for the 2023 season.[16][17] She made 12 total appearances for the club, scoring one goal and one assist.[18]

Racing Louisville FC

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On July 20, 2023, NWSL club Racing Louisville FC signed Aylmer to a short-term national team replacement player contract.[18]

Spokane Zephyr FC

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On May 21, 2024, Aylmer signed with Spokane Zephyr FC for its inaugural season in the inaugural season of the USL Super League.[19]

Honors

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Washington Spirit

References

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  1. ^ "Taylor Aylmer". Washington Spirit. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Taylor Aylmer". Rutgers University. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  3. ^ "Rockland Scholar-Athlete: North Rockland's Taylor Aylmer". The Journal News. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Vote now: Who is the lohud girls soccer player of the decade?". Rockland/Westchester Journal News. August 22, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  5. ^ "NSCAA High School Scholar All-Americans announced (Girls)". Soccerwire.com. July 6, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  6. ^ "Big Ten Announces 2019 Women's Soccer Postseason Honors". Big Ten Conference. October 31, 2019. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d Tonelli, Jenna (March 24, 2022). "Taylor Aylmer finds her footing with the Washington Spirit". All For XI. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  8. ^ "NJ/NY Gotham FC Sign Taylor Aylmer and Claire Winter to National Team Replacement Player Contracts" (Press release). NJ/NY Gotham FC. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  9. ^ "Orlando Pride vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC". National Women's Soccer League.
  10. ^ Small, Jordan (August 21, 2021). "Washington Spirit Sign Taylor Aylmer and Morgan Goff to Pair of One-Year Deals" (Press release). Washington Spirit. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  11. ^ "Taylor Aylmer scores beautiful chip in first NWSL start". Just Women's Sports. October 17, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  12. ^ Cooper, Jen (November 19, 2021). "Taylor Aylmer & the Spirit of Sisterhood". Keeper Notes. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  13. ^ "Match Recap: Washington edge Chicago to win 2021 NWSL Championship". National Women's Soccer League. November 20, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  14. ^ "Washington Spirit Re-Sign Midfielder Taylor Aylmer to New Contract". OurSports Central (Press release). Washington Spirit. December 22, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  15. ^ Pittman, Sam (November 15, 2022). "Washington Spirit Announces Offseason Roster Moves" (Press release). Washington Spirit. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  16. ^ "DONE DEAL ✍🏾 Taylor Aylmer makes the move to Aland United in Finland 🇫🇮 for the 2023 season". Facebook. Sisu Sports Management. April 1, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  17. ^ Hirvonen, Hinni (May 21, 2023). ""Ei sellaista ole USA:ssa!" Taylor Aylmer hämmästyi suomalaisen kuntosalin käytännöstä – mitä ihmettä NWSL:n voittaja tekee Ahvenanmaalla?". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  18. ^ a b "Racing Signs Aylmer, Shamburger to National Team Replacement Player Contracts". OurSportsCentral (Press release). Racing Louisville FC. July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  19. ^ USL Spokane (May 21, 2024). "Midfielder Taylor Aylmer brings NWSL and European experience to Spokane's Zephyr FC". Spokane Zephyr FC. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
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