He said it was the biggest struggle that he’s ever endured.
With the seventh game of his junior season almost over, star soccer player Taylor Rudolph (12) chased his collegiate dream- a dream that Rudolph, with a relatively short body, never thought possible. But after he earned Best of Preps honors for the 2013 season, the dream was transitioning into a reality.
It was April 11, 2014, and the Spartans were facing off against the Bearden High School Bulldogs. The Bulldogs were on the verge of a win.
Rudolph’s eyes scanned the field. Gliding through the middle of the field, he saw two Spartan strikers cutting toward the goal. “We need to score,” he thought. Then pop. A Bearden player got a foot in front of Taylor and tripped him. Rudolph face-planted toward the ground.
“They were already beating us, and the dude just purposely tripped him,” teammate Xavier Lake (12), who played soccer with Taylor since their freshman year, said. Even Rudolph later admits that the trip was purposeful.
He attempted to stand up but was fixed to the ground after hearing a pop in his shoulder. Lake, who helped lead the team to the State tournament in 2013, squatted down at half field ,wondering why this was happening to his friend.
White Station’s trainer came to help Rudolph off the field. For the rest of the game, he stood on the sidelines moving his arm around, worrying about his future in soccer, and wondering how the team could survive without him.
Later that night, the doctor delivered the news. Broken collar bone. No soccer for three months. Just like that, his season ended and his dream to play college soccer was in jeopardy.
Humble Beginnings
Rudolph’s love for soccer started in his backyard.
Austin Rudolph, Taylor’s older brother, introduced him to the game. The two began a life-long, brotherly rivalry through their intense backyard battles and pick-up games.
“Before soccer I was really interested in basketball,” Rudolph said, “and [Austin] slowly persuaded me into playing soccer, and I enjoyed the sport from the start.”
Soccer seemed to come naturally to him. At first, the younger Rudolph dabbled in a church league, but it wasn’t competitive enough for him.
Then, he played up three years with Austin’s recreational team. But it was always obvious that Rudolph was a cut better than the rest. So from fourth grade onwards, Rudolph played on various competitive teams including the Memphis Falcons, Tennessee Rush, Collierville Lobo and Lobos Rush. All of his coaches helped reinforce his dream to play college soccer, but only one of these coaches transformed and refined his game more than anyone else: Dwayne Lawrence.
Dwayne Lawrence coached both the Falcons and Tennessee Rush, and his advice that he would need to gain better techniques and tactics in order to compete with the bigger, taller opponents.Six years later, Rudolph still raves about Lawrence’s coaching abilities.
“After our training sessions were over for the day, he would pull me aside and show me a few things that everyone else didn’t get to do. He always looked out for me,” Taylor said.
Making Adjustments
At their freshman tryouts in 2012, Rudolph, Lake, Caesar Guerrero (12), Max Law (12) and Patrick Rose (12), all major prospects, were all placed on the same practice team. Needless to say, they won every game, and the coaching staff was puzzled with what to do with their abundance of freshman talent.
“Our freshman class was the best class the soccer team has ever had here. We had 20 players that could easily go into starting JV,” Lake said.
Rudolph wasn’t picked for junior varsity. He was brought straight to varsity, which showcased Rudolph’s immense talent and ability. “[Being picked for varsity] was a really big step for me,” Rudolph said. “I had to balance my school work and soccer. The first couple weeks after tryouts, I had trouble juggling the two. But throughout the season, the upperclassmen guided me and helped me. It kind of gave me a good perspective on how they had success in those two areas.”
During the next two years, he would gain the vital skills of responsibility, maturity and time-management. He would be awarded Best of Preps honors for his spectacular sophomore season where he scored seven goals. Coming off of an opening round loss in the 2013 State tournament, Taylor and the rest of the Spartans were poised to make it back in 2014. There was no room for error.
No soccer for three months.
After his left collarbone injury last April, Taylor wondered how in the world he was supposed to not play soccer for a quarter of the year. He had never missed more than a week of the sport, so it came as a huge shock to him. At a time when he needed to start impressing college recruiters, he was a sitting duck who couldn’t showcase his talent. However, those who know Taylor know that he does not complain about his struggles. He realized there’s nothing to do but accept the injury and move on.
And, of course, this is why he shifted his focuses to the team. The team still needed him as their captain. They needed him to lead, to coach, and to help. And Taylor embraced this. Whatever they needed- gatorade, water or a helping hand leading drills- he was there.
When asked why Taylor continued to stick with the team, 2015 co-captain Xavier Lake said, “It’s mostly because he cares a lot too. I think he cares so much that he just couldn’t be away. A lot of players when they get injured, they don’t show up.”
With Taylor and fellow star teammate Shawn Spruill sidelined, the team used these injuries as rallying points. They were no longer playing for themselves but for the injured players too. This motivation torpedoed them into the first round of the state tournament, which ended in a loss for the Spartans.
Finally, after three long months away from soccer activities, Rudolph could play soccer again. Only this time, he would do things differently. He would not let an injury hurt his chances of playing college soccer.
In late July last year, Rudolph joined FC Alliance’s 98’ Boys team, a Knoxville-based club team with a history of turning prospects into college-ready players. Everyone on that team competes at an extremely high level. They all want to play college soccer. And they all love to win.
Rudolph gives praise to Jon Schneider, head coach of FC Alliance (18-4-4).
“[Schneider] told me at the beginning that if I do the things that I’m very good at that I could get a college offer. I really believed what he said and at every practice, I kept that in the back of my mind. I always remembered what he said,” Rudolph said.
Knoxville sits about six hours away from Memphis, and for this reason, along with the fact that he needed the practice anyway, he started working with local trainer Dayton O’Brien. According to Wikipedia (yes, he is on Wikipedia), O’Brien played soccer at the University of Memphis from 2002-2005 and holds the season record for assists with thirty-four assists. Meeting at Farmington Elementary School two or three times a week, O’Brien and Rudolph work on everything from dribbling and footwork to shooting and passing.
And the extra practice paid off.
“He continues to impress me everyday.” Current head coach Drew Sachenbacher said. “It’s almost to where I’m not surprised anymore when he does something amazing. That’s just Taylor doing Taylor.”
Taylor doing Taylor.
As the soccer season progressed, so did Rudolph’s soccer skills. He came back determined to improve his game and to get an offer. College recruiters started showing up at games as FC Alliance was ranked first in Tennessee, seventh in the region, and twenty-second in the nation. Winning the past 5 state championships, including this past season in December, FC Alliance has a history of winning, and recruiters notice this.
But Rudolph doesn’t have time to bask in his successes. No time to talk about going to the state championship in both 2013 and 2014. And no time to talk about his club championships either.
He only has time to move forward. Time to make his team better despite key players leaving and an influx of underclassmen ascending to varsity. To do this, Rudolph and co-captain Lake will need to stay healthy and continue to set the right example for the younger guys.
It was February 6, 2015. Rudolph didn’t want to make a big deal of the commitment. There was no need for a party or a big announcement in front of the whole school. That’s just not Rudolph.
After a productive meeting with the University of Memphis soccer coaches a few weeks before, Taylor learned more about the program and knew that it would be the right destination for him.
“Growing up in Memphis, they’ve always been a strong program.” Rudolph said. “I’ve known former coaches there in the past and I really like what they stand for, how they play and how they present themselves. It seems like a great fit for me. I can really see myself doing very well in that environment.”
He headed up to the University of Memphis Athletic Office, signed the papers, and drove home. From his backyard to the many road trips for soccer games, he finally made it. He achieved his dream and will be playing for the Memphis Tigers soccer team next year.
O’Brien, who still keeps relationships with some of the Memphis coaching staff, said, “I know that the coaching staff is excited to add a player of his caliber who will challenge the upperclassmen and provide depth to the roster, and it also bodes well that he is a local prospect as well.”
Rudolph’s love for soccer at White Station continues with one more season left to prove himself. It lives on through the White Station underclassmen. And it will thrive at the University of Memphis for the next four years.
