By Molly Tow
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/22/11
West Chester East rising senior defender Taylor Clark has made a verbal commitment to play Division I lacrosse at La Salle University.
Clark helped West Chester East finish 10-9 and advance to the District 1 tournament in 2011. She was on Team Philly at the Under Armour Underclassmen Games in 2010, and competed in the National Tournament for Philadelphia in both 2010 and 2011. Clark plays club lacrosse for SEPA.
Clark, an Honor Roll student, plans to major in Health and Nutrition while attending La Salle.
Clark was originally looking for schools with a more rural setting, but her tour of La Salle caused her to reconsider.
“At first when I was looking at schools, I wasn’t looking in the city at all, but once I actually visited the school, you actually forget where you are and that got me,” said Clark of La Salle.
For Clark, the deciding factor was the coaching staff, headed by Candace Taglianetti.
“Candace and (assistant) Mallory [Tornetta] have been great,” said Clark. “It feels good to feel wanted, and I think that’s what really got me.
“It’s the main reason why I decided on La Salle. I knew their record wasn’t the best last year and it was a huge transition year for them, so I want to be a part of making the school and the team a lot better.”
Another West Chester East player who has committed to play Division I lacrosse is midfielder Stephanie Lobb (North Carolina).
Clark said the Vikings enjoyed a successful 2011 season under hew head coach Christa Somits.
“We had a new coach this year and I loved her,” said Clark. “I think that’s what we really needed; someone to kick us in the (tail) and get us going because we had all the talent. We actually came out pretty well. We ended up with a winning record, so I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Clark, named a captain for 2012, has high expectations.
“I want to try to take more of a leadership role,” she said. “We lost a lot of seniors again, so I want us to have a winning record again.”
