Lacrosse After College: Meg Taylor

Jonah Alewine — July 6, 2024

There has only ever been one goalkeeper to win the Tewaaraton Award; her name is Megan “Meg” Taylor. Taylor attended the University of Maryland, and in 2019, in the eyes of many, she had the best season for a goalie in collegiate women’s lacrosse history.

Her lacrosse journey did not stop after that magical season. Although she may not be playing for a team anymore, she is helping the future stars of the game improve and shine.

After her collegiate career, Taylor played a season in the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League (WPLL). She also began her coaching career at the United States Naval Academy as an assistant that same summer.

Both the girls on the team and coaching at the collegiate level were awesome, according to Taylor.

She did not take the opportunity for granted.

“Cindy Timchal is just such a legend. I got to learn from Kathy Reese, and I got to learn from Cindy. It’s just, like, I couldn’t imagine being around better role models and better women who impact the game… And I was really able to take a lot of lessons from them.”

Taylor knew after graduating college she wanted to get into coaching. Five years in, she said it fills her cup up so much and is the perfect fit for her.

This career path has evolved to not just coaching for a team but specifically a company.

Taylor currently works with Goaliesmith, a training company focusing on the goalie position started by the Gvozden brothers.

“Mike and Andrew started Goaliesmith out in California, and then they ended up moving to Baltimore. And they wanted to tap into, like, the girls’ side so they reached out to me, and it was just kind of an opportunity I didn’t want to turn down.”

The former Terrapin loves her job with Goaliesmith, where she has been since 2021, and the players she has been able to coach.

“When you come to Goaliesmith, you’re going to be told what you can improve on and different ways to do it. And we’re going to hold you accountable for that. And I think that some training programs don’t do that.”

“I just think coaching, yes it’s a lot about lacrosse, but it’s also a lot about life lessons and watching people improve with their confidence,” Taylor said.

The biggest thing for Taylor while training goalies is to keep the sport fun. Pressure is a big aspect in sports, so she wants to keep the sport enjoyable for young athletes.

“It’s a really awesome sport that we get to play, and we get to grow. And the next – these younger goalies are going to be the next generation that does that,” Taylor said.

When coaching young goalies, Taylor wants them to put their bodies in front of the ball and to play athletically. The game is changing often, so being an athletic goalie can really make a team complete, according to Taylor.

She believes the position used to have the least athletic person on the field managing it, but that has changed.

Taylor believes each coaching job she has had is unique in different ways. In college, you get to talk more about the game plans and everything that correlates with the game itself. With Goaliesmith, Taylor can really focus on the goalie position alone.

She also has a personal connection to the opportunities Goaliesmith provides players.

Taylor did not have the opportunity to train with a Goaliesmith-like program and thought it was isolating when growing up. Not only does Goaliesmith give goalies an opportunity to practice, it also allows them to connect with others who share the same passion.

When it comes to her future, Taylor is not quite sure yet but definitely views what is to come as exciting. She wants to keep growing the women’s game.