Taylor made to succeed Scoring ʻbrings a lot of joyʼ

Jordan Williams Roundup Reporter

Sitting on the bench anxiously awaiting her chance to prove herself as the Brahmas best goalkeeper, she got her chance in a position that she hadn’t tried out for, but is flourishing in.

A backup goalkeeper is one of the loneliest positions in sports. Playing time depends on another player being injured. That is when freshman goalkeeper Taylor Bailey decided to prove herself in another position.

Bailey started her Pierce College career by trying out as a goalkeeper. Bailey made the team, but found herself behind sophomore keeper Jenna Koziol.

“I told him [head coach Adolfo Perez] that I play forward. He tried me out a few games and now I’m contributing. I’m scoring and getting assists,” Bailey said.

After competing in practice, she was able to convince her coaches she was skilled enough to play as a field player.

She came off the bench in Pierce’s ninth game of the season against Fresno City College and her physicality helped earn the Brahmas a 1-1 draw.

Born in Glendale, Calif. in 1996, Bailey fell in love with the sport at the tender age of 4.

Bailey attributes her interest in the sport, as well as her playing style to her aunt.

“I was really little and used to watch her all the time,” Bailey said.

Bailey attended John Burroughs High School in Burbank, Calif. where she played all four years and helped the Indians win a city championship as a junior.

Bailey is currently majoring in Kinesiology at Pierce College.

“I want to go to a UC first then eventually professional and we’ll see how it goes from there,” said Bailey.

She also said she would want to pursue a career in medicine. “I always wanted to be an ER doctor,” Bailey said.

Her passion for competing would not allow her to sit on the bench so she decided to get on