Freshman Taylor Noll is thriving early at Trine College

It didn’t take long for Trine College’s Taylor Noll to make an impact during her freshman season with the Thunder women’s soccer team. In just six NCAA DIII matches, Noll has five goals and three assists.

She had a huge performance in a win over Grace Christian back on 9/15 when she scored a hat trick and added two assists. “For me personally, this was a very special match,” Noll told BGN. “It gave me a great feeling knowing that I could compete at the collegiate level. Realizing that these goals and assists were the first from a freshman player was an amazing feeling.”

“This moment also allowed my teammates to see what kind of player I am going to be on this team. In two games, this achievement has given me a drive to keep moving forward and give my all every game and practice. Lastly, we have a great team this year and I was thrilled to make a contribution so early in the season. I think the whole team gained confidence from this 7-0 victory. We have been on a roll since that game!”

That strong start to the season has included a 5-1 record and 25 goals scored in those six matches. “This year’s team overall is pretty special and is filled with a great group of young ladies and coaches,” she said. “We have 5 graduating seniors, with a few of those graduating early in December. They have stepped in and supported and encouraged us freshmen from the start. The whole team and coaching staff have really made the other freshman and I feel very welcome.”

Before playing for Trine, Noll was a star back home in Anna, Ohio for Anna High School. In her senior season, she was named the Western Ohio League’s Player of the Year and her coach was named Coach of the Year. What makes that second part more special is that her coach was Mike Noll, her father. Taylor said, “Being coached by my dad was a great experience because he was a lot harder on me with everything involving soccer because he knew I could do better. This helped push me to be the player I am today.”

He’s remained the head coach at Anna and Taylor thinks his passion for soccer is growing along with hers. How has the adjustment been for Taylor as she’s no longer coached by her dad? “Yes, so my dad has been my coach essentially since I started playing soccer,” she answered. “It has been an adjustment not having him here on the sideline, but it has been a pretty easy transition since Trine’s coaching staff is pretty awesome!”

That coaching staff definitely played a part in Noll deciding on Trine for her college career. “I knew Trine was the right school for me both athletically and academically right when I stepped
on campus. I fell in love with the small, but big atmosphere here and the way the campus was set-up,” she said. “Athletically, I really enjoyed everything about my visits with both the soccer coaches and players.”

“Getting to meet with Coach Gary to understand the way his team plays and the high goals he has for us really helped further my decision to commit to Trine and continue to grow as a player under him. Academically, they had the right program for me to pursue. One that will hopefully help me achieve my goal of graduating in 4 years with my MBA in Marketing. This is something I really want to accomplish because it will allow me to have a jump start on my career upon graduation and will equip me with additional knowledge and skills.”

Attending Trine in Angola, Indiana also allowed Taylor to not leave the Midwest. “As far as staying in the Midwest for my college career, I did want to stay close to my family and friends in Anna so I could visit them when my soccer commitments allow,” Noll added.

Anna, Ohio is a small village in Shelby County that had less than 2,000 people living there when the 2010 census was completed. “Anna is a wonderful community and I feel blessed to grow up where faith, family, friends, and doing the right thing is valued,” Taylor said.

But, with the lack of people, that doesn’t leave a lot of room for learning about different cultures or backgrounds. Taylor mentioned that Angola has similar values to Anna, but that it will also allow her to meet people from different backgrounds and communities once COVID-19 becomes less prevalent.

In the meantime, Taylor Noll will try to continue the hot start to her freshman campaign when the Thunder take on Huntington tomorrow afternoon. Discussing her individual goals for the rest of Year One, Noll said, “My main individual goals are to be a contributor on and off the field in any role that the team needs and to continue to grow and learn more about the game and simply, just get better every day.”