Taylor's impact clear at St. Viator
St. Viator will be playing for the Class 2A state soccer championship Saturday against a terrific team from southern Illinois in Belleville Althoff.
And while it's all about living in the moment and giving it all they have in the title game, Lions coach Mike Taylor is mindful that the sum total of this tournament run is the result of everything that preceded it.
Long before the Lions reported to training camp, when Taylor agreed to take over the girls program for the first time, the long-time boys coach brought everyone together to explain that only hard work would lead to a shot at a title.
It turns out he had a lot of believers, as evidenced by St. Viator's 3-0 victory over Wheaton Academy on Friday at North Central College in Naperville. The keys for St. Viator were junior Taylor Skala's 36th goal of the season and a superb effort from the Lions' defenders.
Perhaps senior Sam Gavin responded best afterward.
"It's kind of hard to believe we're (here) and playing for a state title," said Gavin, who said at the moment she spoke, she could feel goose bumps running up and down her arm.
"Taylor is like not other coach, in my opinion," said St. Viator assistant T.J. King, who starred as an all-state sweeper under Taylor on the boys' team for three seasons before graduating in 2004. "The thing about him, is he cares so much about his players, even when it sounds like he isn't after one of his famous vocal blasts at a player or the team. I mean, he really does care.
"When he sees a player down and out, he's there right away to lift their spirits, and he has this incredible knack of pulling a team together, getting the right players in the right place and always knowing when to push or shove in order to prepare the team for the final three weeks of every season."
The success he's achieved has all been possible because he's got a lot of experience in program-building.
Taylor's boys team won a state title last fall, his second at St. Viator. He's approaching 425 victories in a distinguished career, which began in 1981 at Glenbard South.
"You know, I had a good feeling the day before we beat Peoria Notre Dame last November, and I felt the same way about our match with Wheaton last night as well," said Taylor under the searing sun and humidity at North Central. "I told the girls to believe just after we warmed up today on the side field, and to remember to play with pride for themselves and the school."
"One of best things (Taylor) has done when he came on was to bring us all together and to be a family," said senior defender Jackie Tumberger, who was on a talented 2009 team which too often fell flat in a 12-9-3 season that ended against Glenbrook South in the regional final. "There aren't any more factions, or cliques. (Taylor) kind of put an end to that, and now we're all playing for each other, and not ourselves."
Taylor recounted a quick little story of a visit from Colleen Nolan, a 2009 all-area defender, that brought a smile to his face and confirmed that he, King and the Lions coaching staff have made an impression on a club which is ready to contend for a state crown.
"Colleen said to me, it looks like this team is having fun playing," said Taylor. "It was a simple statement that spoke volumes, and I was happy to hear it."
With just a handful of seniors on this current roster, it's clear the Lions' coaching staff is getting through, and the future is bright for those who return next spring.
"(Taylor) has brought us together and made us into a real team, and when he told us to go out and have fun, and to remember to play for (the) seniors like there's no tomorrow, I think all of us knew what we had to do," said Skala.