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11/13/2018 11:00 PMTaryn Frazier enjoyed a successful freshman season as a member of the Valley Regional girls’ soccer team this fall. Taryn worked her way into a starting midfielder’s role during the year, contributing on offense with her ability to keep the ball bouncing around to her teammates. Taryn is also a strong defender who can challenge opponents with her physical play and overall game savvy.
At the beginning of the season, Taryn made it her goal to start one home game for the Warriors this year. However, as the campaign wore on, Taryn earned her spot in Valley’s everyday lineup and established herself as one of the key cogs on the team. In the end, Taryn was typically on the field from the first touch through the final whistle.
“Mostly, my goal was to be able to start a home game. At first, I started away games, and then I got into some home games, but that was my main goal to start,” Taryn says. “Three freshmen including me were cross-rostered between JV and varsity. We got a reasonable amount of minutes depending on who we were playing. Eventually, I went from playing like 50 to 60 minutes a game, to 70, and then the whole game.”
Taryn has been playing soccer since she was four, and she’s always felt comfortable out there on the pitch. While playing varsity at the high-school level can be intimidating, Taryn says the way that Valley’s upperclass athletes embraced her and her fellow freshmen put all of theme at ease.
“The team was very welcoming to the freshman, and we bonded well together on and off the field,” says Taryn. “This was important, because the team made everyone feel like they had a purpose for being on the field.”
Taryn feels that she had a couple of signature moments in her first year with the Warriors. One of them came when Valley scored a big 3-1 win versus Old Saybrook. Taryn netted a crucial insurance goal to extend the Warriors’ lead to 2-0 in the victory.
“During the game against Old Saybrook, I had one of my best games, and I was able score a big goal,” Taryn says. “It was a corner kick from Caroline Baldwin. I ran in from the back post, and I took the shot. I got it from another girl’s pass, and then I scored.”
Taryn provides great versatility for Valley Regional by making an impact on both sides of the ball. Much like her goal against Old Saybrook proved huge in the outcome, Taryn also came up clutch on defense in a 2-2 tie with Old Lyme this season. In just her fifth game on the squad, Taryn was asked to defend one of the senior playmakers on the Wildcats. Taryn held her ground and helped the Warriors pick up a pivotal point in the standings to aid their successful quest of qualifying for the Class M State Tournament.
“Against Old Lyme, I was asked to man-mark a senior. That was very powerful moment for me when [Head Coach Lloyd Warren] picked me for that,” says Taryn, who lives in Ivoryton. “I followed her around everywhere while I was playing as a defensive midfielder.”
Coach Warren was impressed with how quickly Taryn became an integral player for the Warriors as a freshman. Warren says that Taryn’s unrelenting effort and ability to make plays on all ends of the field helped her become a mainstay in the lineup in short order.
“You don’t expect a freshman to have so much responsibility. Taryn had boundless energy on the field, and she was able to put pressure on opponents. She was always strong on possession and epitomized what we needed to create a balance. She’s a strong player that holds her own on the field,” says Warren. “There were a couple of times opposing coaches would say that they couldn’t believe she was a freshman. When you hear that from other coaches, you know you have something special.”
With Valley’s season having come to a close, Taryn is looking forward to playing indoor soccer and lacrosse this winter to help her prepare for next year. She also plans on playing lacrosse at Valley Regional during the spring. While soccer is her favorite sport, Taryn also wants to become strong midfielder on the lacrosse field.
“I play as a midfielder in both soccer and lacrosse. I like soccer more, and it’s more natural for me to use my feet at this point. I’ve been able to develop the hand-eye coordination for lacrosse so far. One thing I’ll work on is knowing who I am passing to, and what am I doing with the ball in different situations,” Taryn says. “I’ll be doing indoor soccer and indoor lacrosse to get prepared. I’ll be trying to get in better condition, too. It’ll be a lot of running and weightlifting.”