A Keene State College freshman has made a name for herself in the Little East Conference (LEC.)
Women’s soccer player Taylor Farland was named the Little East Conference’s rookie of the week on Sept. 2, 2014 according to Keeneowls.com. Ever since she has continued to be a standout player.
The Mass. native has become a deciding force on the field, netting five goals with one assist as of Sept. 28.
Two of those goals were game winners. Farland is ranked fourth in the conference for goal scoring through ten games, according to the LEC website.
Her performance thus far has earned her the accolade of rookie of the week, an award which Farland said was very exciting for her to receive.
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Denise Lyons, head coach of women’s soccer said that in many cases freshmen struggle transitioning from high school to college sports because of the increase in physicality, but said that Taylor has transitioned well.
”She’s [Farland] doing great, it’s always an adjustment for freshmen to come in from high school to college … Taylor came in, she’s physical, she’s strong, she’s very technical, plays with a lot of confidence and has jumped right in and fit right in with the team and hasn’t missed a step,” Lyons said.
Coach Lyons continued to say that Farland’s accurate shot is what makes her stand out amongst other players.
“In the twenty-two years I’ve coached here I think she’s probably had one of the strongest, most powerful shots I’ve seen in a female athlete,” Lyons said.
Ellen Granata, a junior on the team, said she also sees Farland as a beneficial addition to the team.
“She’s definitely a big contribution to the team … She’s a versatile player so she can play up top and she can play in the midfield as well, so that’s really good,” Granata said.
The rookie of the week said that she is very happy to be a part of the women’s soccer team at KSC and that she wants to do whatever she can to support her team, but doing that takes hard work.
Farland said that building her confidence has been key to her doing so well.
“I want to step onto the field and know that I have confidence to support that team that I’m playing behind and work really hard and everything like that,” Farland said.
While Farland has many goals for the season she said that her main goal for this year is to help the team make it to the NCAA tournament after hearing the stories from fellow teammates’ regarding last year’s campaign when the team made it to the second round of the tournament.
“I definitely would love to have the team go back to N-C-double-A’s [tournament] again and be a part of that big tournament … I really want to have that experience,” Farland said.
As Farland continues to excel in the season ahead, Coach Lyons said that she is confident that Farland will continue producing for the team and that she is definitely on track to have a great season and career with the KSC Owls.
“I think that she’s a threat to be reckoned with in the LEC,” Lyons said.
However, Farland is just as enthusiastic as her team is about her.
“I love it here. I love the team, I love everything about them … I’m really happy that I chose this school,” Farland said.
With a positive mind-set, Farland said she hopes to stay on the streak she is on and that she will be able to help her squad reach it’s goals.
Jacob Barrett can be contacted at jbarrett@keene-equinox.com
