Taylor Leach

AWARDS:
Redshirt Senior season (2014)
· SEC Brad Davis Community Service Scholarship Nominee
· NSCAA Second Team Scholar All-America
· 2014 First-Team All-SEC
· Capital One Academic All-America Third Team
· NSCAA All-Region First Team
· Capital One All-District Team
· Senior CLASS Award Candidate
· SEC Community Service Team
· SEC Preseason Watch List
· Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week (Aug. 26)
· College Sports Madness First-Team All-SEC
· SEC Academic Honor Roll

Senior season (2013)
· NSCAA Second Team All-South Region
· First Team All-SEC
· SEC Defensive Player of the Week (Week 7)
· TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week (Week 7)
· CS360 Primetime Performers Honor Roll (Week 7)
· SEC Defensive Player of the Week (10/8)
· TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week (10/9)
· SEC Academic Honor Roll

Junior season (2012)
· SEC Academic Honor Roll

Sophomore season (2011)
· SEC Academic Honor Roll

Freshman season (2010)
· SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

2014: Team captain…started all 24 games she played in at centerback, logging the second-most minutes on the team with 2,127…scored four points on a pair of goals…kicked off the season with one of the Gamecocks’ three two-goal performances, netting a pair of goals on set pieces in a 2-0 win over ECU (8/22)…fired a season-high four shots against Samford (8/24)…also attempted four shots against Mississippi State (10/30) on Senior Night…helped the Gamecocks to shutouts in their first two NCAA Tournament matches before being shown off vs. Seattle (11/21) after receiving two yellow cards…missed South Carolina’s Round of 16 win vs. No. 6 North Carolina after the red card vs. Seattle (11/21), but returned the action for the program’s first NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal vs. No. 2 Florida State (11/28)… South Carolina allowed just 11 regular-season goals and finished the season with a 0.72 goals against average — 26th nationally and tops in the SEC — after seeing just 18 balls hit the back of the net…13 shutouts is second-most in school history.

2013: Started 22 matches at center back … Played 1,773 minutes … Selected to NSCAA All-Region Second Team … Named to All-SEC First Team … Tied for third on the team in goals with three … Tallied an assist in 2-1 win at Clemson (9/6) … Headed in game-winner in the 109^th minute at No. 8 Florida (10/4) … Named SEC Defensive Player of the Week (10/8) and to CS360 Primetime Performers Honor Roll (10/7) and TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week (10/9) … Recorded the fifth-fastest goal in program history against Vanderbilt (10/25) at the 1:32 mark … Scored match’s opening goal in a 5-0 defeat over Furman (11/15) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament … Part of defense that ranked 15^th nationally in goals against average (0.59) and 25^th in shutout percentage (.522) … Tied for the second-most shutouts in a season in program history with 12 … Named to SEC Academic Honor Roll.

2012: Started all 21 matches of the season…scored four points on one goal and two assists….netted only goal of the season in a home match against Ole Miss (10/14)…added assists in back-to-back games at Arkansas (9/23) and at Auburn (9/28)…put four of her 13 shots on frame…logged the second-most minutes on the team with 1706…played on a backline that limited Vanderbilt, Georgia, Tennessee, LSU and Ole Miss to only 17 shots on goal in 470 minutes of action during a five-game stretch.

2011: Played in 19 matches as a substitute at forward … Registered two shots and one on goal … Saw most extensive action with 60 minutes at Arizona State (8/28) … Attempted a shot against Kentucky (9/30) … Took a shot on frame in the NCAA First Round against Texas (11/11).

2010: Squad member, did not compete due to injury and earned a redshirt … Named to SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll.

PRE-COLLEGE: Two-time First Team All-District (2008-09) … Three-time First Team All-League (2006, 2008-09) … Two-time state Ohio state champion (2008-09) … 2009 Regional finalist … Played for Cleveland Internationals club team … Named MVP at Super-Y National Finals Tournament (2009).

PERSONAL: Full name is Taylor Maree Leach … Majoring in exercise science … Chose USC over Dayton, UNLV, South Alabama and Long Island … Has two sisters … Father (Rodney) played football at Findlay … Parents are Gina Perales and Rodney Leach.

WHY USC?: I immediately fell in love with the campus, environment, coaches, team and what USC has to offer for me to be successful.