NSU University School Taylor Smith signed her first academy contract with Fort Lauderdale United FC.
The 16-year-old Fort Lauderdale native will make history as the first player to join Fort Lauderdale United FC in its inaugural season as a high schooler.
Smith first began playing on NSU University School’s varsity team when she was just in 8th grade. In her 2021/22 season as an eighth grader, Smith appeared in 15 games and totaled 1,086 minutes, scoring 13 goals and making five assists.
Smith took the lead of her team as captain during her freshman season and played in 22 games for a total of 1,682 minutes. Smith dominated the field, firing on all cylinders as a forward, scoring 17 goals and recording 24 assists. Smith was the key to her team continuing their season and reaching the state championship for the first team in her school’s history. Smith scored in the 74th minute of the Class 3A state semifinal to tie the game after the Sharks had been down 1-0 versus Benjamin, allowing her team to advance to penalty kicks, where they took the victory. Smith was named to the Broward County 5A-2A girls’ soccer first team due to her hard work, leadership and exceptional performance.
Narrowing down on her skills, Smith had a career-high of 81 points in her sophomore season in 2023/24, scoring 24 goals and making 33 assists. She averaged 1.6 goals per game and 5.4 points per game, proving how many opportunities she creates and completes for her team’s offense. For the second consecutive year, Smith led her team to the state final four.
In only three years spent playing for the Sharks varsity team, Smith already has a long list of accolades under her belt. In total, she has recorded 54 goals and 62 assists, adding up to 170 points. Her extraordinary success has also ranked her as number four in the nation in assists (33) and number one in her district in points (81). Smith earned the prestigious award of the Miami Herald’s Broward 4A-2A Girls Soccer Player of the Year, celebrating her decorated and impactful career for the Sharks so far.
Smith shone not only on her varsity team but has also been a key player for the ECNL Girls League.
Smith is the embodiment of the talent that is present in South Florida girls’ soccer and is an inspiration for local youth players in the Fort Lauderdale community to play professionally.
Fort Lauderdale United FC is proud to nurture a rising star and continue the momentum of Smith’s booming career.
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