BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford Athletics is continuing the Student-Athlete Spotlight series, presented by Coca-Cola, which, this week, will highlight Taylor Yount, a junior forward on the soccer team.
 
Yount came to Samford from Cape Coral, Fla., and Mariner High School. Yount talked about the recruiting process that brought her to Samford.
 
"I committed to Samford really young, by the end of my sophomore year in high school, I was already committed," Yount said. "I had gone on a couple of tours at bigger schools like UCF, Wake Forest, I was supposed to go visit Arkansas when I came and visited here. But after I visited Samford for my unofficial, I just kind of knew that this is where I wanted to be for the next four years, and I just felt really good about my decision coming here."
 
Yount also discussed what attracted her to Samford during that time.
 
"I just really loved the small feel of it and the campus itself is beautiful, obviously," Yount said. "Along with, just the soccer program I felt like this was going to be the best place for me to succeed, not only on the soccer field but in the classroom too."
 
Yount has had a strong career, not only on the field, but academically as well. She talked about what she is studying and what she would like to do in the future.
 
"Right now, I'm a health sciences major and I want to go to graduate school to become a physician's assistant when I'm done with soccer," Yount said. "But I'm thinking I want to specialize in pediatrics or something, but we'll see."
 
Yount and the Bulldogs won an eighth-straight Southern Conference regular season championship this season, and also won the SoCon Tournament title to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Samford knocked off host Auburn, 2-0, with Yount scoring the second goal, to advance to the second round for the first time since 2005.
 
"I feel like the team, overall, we had a really good mindset going into it," Yount said. "We had a lot of momentum coming off going undefeated in conference and then just winning the championship, obviously. That was just so much momentum for us going in. We go out to practice and work hard every day, so I think we were really motivated to get that win, especially from playing them earlier this season. I think a lot of people could get easily intimidated by getting seeded into the tournament, playing a Number 4 seed, but I think that actually motivated us to do better."
 
The game was scoreless at halftime, with both of Samford's goals coming late in the second half. Mary Raymond scored the first goal in the 61^st minute, while Yount added her goal in the 77^th minute of the match to put the game away.
 
"Being a forward, I get a good view of all the goals," Yount said. "I just knew as soon as Mary struck that ball that it was going to be in the back of the net, there was no way that keeper was going to get to it. It was one of those goals where you just know it's going to be a goal. That was really exciting to watch. On my goal, Kyla (Reynolds) did a great job of beating the defender to get that cross off. I'm just thankful I was able to put it in the back of the net. We do that at practice a lot, so I'm glad it paid off."
 
Yount talked about the bench to that final goal.
 
"The bench really, honestly, does so much for us," Yount said. "I love hearing the girls cheer out there, they bring a bigger impact than they could ever know, I'm so thankful for them."
 
Yount talked about what she was feeling as the clock ticked down and the Bulldogs' victory was sealed.
 
"I was just shocked, and I can't lie, I was really tired," Yount said. "I was just so proud of each and every one of us. We have all worked so hard throughout the whole season and just to see that our hard work and determination had paid off, it was really something special and I'm going to remember that for the rest of my life."
 
Samford will take on St. John's in the second round Friday in Durham, N.C. St. John's advanced with a 1-0 overtime win over Brown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
"I think a lot of the team watched it," Yount said of the Brown-St. John's game. "I watched it with my roommates, Morgan and Layla. Just based off that game, I can tell St. John's is going to be a very good team, so we need to respect them and their play. But I think it's a very good matchup. I think if we play our best soccer, just go out there and play the way we know we can, we're going to be in a very good spot for advancing to the next round."
 
Friday's match against St. John's is set for a 3 p.m. (CT) start from Durham, N.C. The game can be seen live on ESPN+ at the following link: WATCH LIVE.


 
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