| Taylor Aylmer | |
| Birth Date: | 23 September 1998[1] |
| Birth Place: | Garnerville, New York, U.S. |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Spokane Zephyr |
| Youthclubs1: | World Class FC |
| Collegeyears1: | 2016–2019 |
| College1: | Rutgers Scarlet Knights |
| Collegecaps1: | 85 |
| Collegegoals1: | 4 |
| Years1: | 2021 |
| Clubs1: | NJ/NY Gotham |
| Caps1: | 0 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2021–2022 |
| Clubs2: | Washington Spirit |
| Caps2: | 22 |
| Goals2: | 1 |
| Years3: | 2023 |
| Clubs3: | Åland United |
| Caps3: | 11 |
| Goals3: | 1 |
| Years4: | 2023 |
| Clubs4: | Racing Louisville |
| Caps4: | 2 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 2024– |
| Clubs5: | Spokane Zephyr |
| Caps5: | 0 |
| Goals5: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | July 21, 2023 |
Taylor Aylmer (born September 23, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Spokane Zephyr FC in the USL Super League.
Raised in Garnerville, New York located north of New York City, Aylmer attended North Rockland High School where she played on the varsity team for four years[2] and captained the team in 2015.[3] The same year, she earned all-league, all-section, and all-state honors, and was named Player of the Year.[4] Aylmer led the team to the state finals her junior and senior year.[4]
Aylmer played for World Class FC in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL). Excelling academically, she was named a 2015-16 NSCAA High School Scholar All-American[5] and was a member of the National Honor Society and Math, Science, English, and Social Studies Honor Society.
Aylmer attended Rutgers University where she played for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's soccer team from 2016 to 2019. She captained the team in 2019 and co-captained in 2018. During her freshman year in 2016, she scored two goals and provided three assists in the 23 matches she played. She was named to the Big Ten Conference All-Freshman Team. In 2017, she was a starting midfielder in 19 of the team's 21 matches. She scored a penalty kick — the game winner — in a 4–0 win against Monmouth University. The same year, she as named 2017 Academic All-Big Ten for the first of three consecutive years. As a junior, Aylmer was named co-captain and starting midfielder in all 20 matches. As captain during her senior year, her nine assists ranked top on the team. She was named to the 2019 All-Region Second Team, All-Big Ten Third Team, Scholar All-Region Second Team and earned Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honors.[6]
Aylmer registered for the 2020 NWSL College Draft, but was not selected. NJ/NY Gotham FC invited Aylmer to its 2020 pre-season camp, but play was suspended due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports. Washington Spirit invited Aylmer to train with the team during the 2020 NWSL Fall Series, but did not sign a contract with the club.[7]
Gotham FC signed Aylmer as a National Team Replacement Player in 2021.[7] [8] She made her professional debut on April 14, 2021, during a 1–0 win against Orlando Pride in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup.[9] Gotham FC did not extend her contract beyond the national team replacement period.[7]
Aylmer signed with the Spirit as a national team replacement player in the middle of the 2021 season, which the Spirit extended to a full contract for the remainder of the season on August 21, 2021.[10] In her first regular-season start on October 17, 2021, Aylmer scored a match-winning chip goal against OL Reign, her first league goal.[11]
Aylmer made 10 appearances during the season, including starting in the Spirit's first-round playoff match win against North Carolina Courage on November 7, 2021; and as a substitute during the semi-final win against OL Reign on November 14;[12] and as a substitute in the Spirit's 2021 championship finals victory.[7] [13]
The Spirit re-signed Aylmer to a one-year contract with an option for an additional year in December 2021.[14] However, in November 2022, the Spirit did not exercise the option and waived her. Aylmer finished her Spirit career with 32 matches across all competitions.[15]
On April 1, Kansallinen Liiga club Åland United signed Aylmer for the 2023 season.[16] [17] She made 12 total appearances for the club, scoring one goal and one assist.
On July 20, 2023, NWSL club Racing Louisville FC signed Aylmer to a short-term national team replacement player contract.[18]
On May 21, 2024, Aylmer signed with Spokane Zephyr FC for its inaugural season in the inaugural season of the USL Super League.[19]
Washington Spirit