Rodgers looking forward to college career on the pitch

Senior Taylor Rodgers is always on the move. From the blaring music in the locker room to the pitch, this versatile player packs a punch. Rodgers was one of the Wildcats’ top scorers this past soccer season.

Rodgers has been playing soccer for 10 years. After starting out playing defense, high school formation changes forced her to switch to the forward position. She played forward for the high school all four years.  

This season, she had 19 assists and 11 goals. 

“I think it was one of my best years – we won state, and the team chemistry was just super fun to be around. We were like a family,” she said.

In junior high, Rodgers played for the Flathead Rapids club league. 

“My past five years, I’ve played soccer year round,” she said,

However this year, Rodgers took the winter off. This spring, she’s playing spring soccer for Flathead Valley United soccer club. 

Pre-game days, she has her routine: 

“I wake up and have the same meal [oatmeal] every game day, because I get nervous.”

The most running-intensive soccer positions typically say that they run an average of 5 miles per game. Rodgers says that forwards don’t necessarily run the most every game, but they run a certain, exhausting way.

“It’s a different kind of running–midfielders are constantly running slowly up and down the field, whereas forwards are sprinting, recovering, sprinting, recovering.”

This fall, Rodgers will be attending George Fox University, a small NCAA school in Newburg, Oregon. 

“I wanted to be semi close to home, but also get away; Newburg is a very big outdoor community and it’s very welcoming.”

Rodgers will find out if she’s starting (as a forward) when they start practicing later this summer. 

She’ll be majoring in kinesiology. 

“I’ve always been interested on what you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I’m a strong believer in exercise for health,” she said. 

So far, Rodgers has received a merit scholarship for $24,000, and a scholarship through George’s Fox’s “Summit” program for $2,500.

Rodgers has a way of bringing a bright, driven spirit wherever she goes. She’ll surely be a deadly resource for the Bruins ladies soccer team throughout her college career.