Taylor Aylmer (born September 23, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder.

Taylor Aylmer
Aylmer with Racing Louisville FC in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth (1998-09-23) September 23, 1998 (age 25)[1]
Place of birth Garnerville, New York, U.S.
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 7+12 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
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 FC 0 (0)
2021–2022 Washington Spirit 22 (1)
2023 Åland United 11 (1)
2023 Racing Louisville FC 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of July 21, 2023

Early life edit

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 edit

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 edit

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, 2021 edit

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, 2021–2022 edit

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, 2023 edit

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, 2023 edit

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

Honors edit

Washington Spirit

References edit

  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. 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.

External links edit