By Ron Smith
December 8, 2021
 
(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) Westmont's Taylie Scott of Maple Grove, Minnesota, has been honored by the NAIA as a 2021 Women's Soccer All-American. The junior defender led a Warrior back line that allowed just 16 goals in 20 games this year and limited opponents to just 60 shots on goal (3.0 per game).
 
"I am so excited for Taylie because she is so consistent," expressed Westmont head coach Jenny Jaggard. "I think that is a huge piece of being a great player – consistently putting together good performances.
 
"Her defending this year has been so solid. She had such a good read of the game and she is so physically strong. I am really proud of her. In big moments for us, she handles pressure very well.
 
"As a junior, she has been growing in her ability to lead in the back line with confidence. She has put together a solid year for us this year. You can see that in how few goals we have let in this year. She is a really good person and the kind of person that you want to always have on the field. She is a rock – very reliable and extremely consistent in what you will get out of her."
 
Scott, who was named to the All-American third team, has started all 51 games she has played in three years at Westmont.
 
Also honored by the NAIA were senior Teagan Matye and freshman Shayna Stock. Both received honorable mention recognition.
 
Matye, a midfielder from Roseville, tallied five goals and four assists this season and played a critical role on both sides of the field.
 
"Consistency is a great word for Teagan as well," noted Jaggard. "She has an exceptional work rate on the field, both offensively and defensively. There aren't too many players that can go out and play 90-minutes in both conference games on Thursday and Saturday while going box-to-box the entire game.
 
"She does a lot of the defensive grunt work in the midfield that nobody else wants to do. In the shape we were playing this year, she was also required to serve as an attacking mid. She came all the way back to defend in our box, then was expected to be up at the other team's box scoring goals or doing something dangerous to help her teammates score goals. It was a really hard role this year. It was a role that not many players are fit enough or soccer-savvy enough to perform.
 
"She is very gifted on the ball. Her ability to hold the ball and maintain possession was a pivotal piece of our possession game this year."
 
This is the third time that Matye has been selected for honorable mention recognition.
 
Stock, an outside defender from Redondo Beach, led the Warriors in assists this season with eight.
"From the first moment I watched Shayna as a recruit, I was excited that she was interested in Westmont," reported Jaggard. "She is a talented athlete and soccer player.
 
"She has a lot of very good tools as a left back – the way she reads the game, her defending as a freshman despite little experience, and a really good long throw.
 
"Her greatest attribute is her attacking side of the game. She likes to get forward. She has had quite a few assists serving the ball into the box or cutting in and dribbling and looking to take shots herself. Not a lot of freshmen have the confidence to do that, but even a more seasoned player often has trouble doing what she does from that position. I love the fact that she is that dynamic and just goes out and does it."
 
Westmont Women's Soccer was a co-champion of the Golden State Athletic Conference regular season. The Warriors then earned the conference's automatic berth into the NAIA National Championship when they outshot Hope International in penalty kicks 5-4 in the GSAC Championship Game.
 
Selected to host an NAIA Opening Round Tournament, Westmont defeated Embry Riddle (Ariz.) and Marymount California to advance to the final site in Orange Beach, Alabama.
 
As the number nine-seed in the 10-team final site tournament, Westmont defeated eighth-seeded Cumberlands (Ky.) by a score of 3-1 to reach the quarterfinals. In the quarters, the Warriors fell by the same score to William Carey (Miss.) who was the number one seed. The Warriors ended their season with a record of 13-2-5.