Taylor Takes Bronze at World Cup
July 09, 2015 | Women's Soccer
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Former Oregon State women's soccer player Jodie Taylor moved into an elite class of athletes at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, earning a Bronze Medal as part of the English National Team. The finish was the highest ever for England at a World Cup.
Taylor, a forward for the Portland Thorns and the only member of the English national team playing professionally in the US, is the first Oregon State soccer player to ever earn a World Cup medal.
Overall, Taylor played in four of England's seven matches at the World Cup, making a pair of starts in the quarterfinal and semifinal matches. She scored a vital goal in the quarterfinal against host nation Canada, an 11th-minute strike across goal that snuck inside the far post. Taylor also tallied an assist in England's first knockout match against Norway.
As a team, England advanced from the group phase with six points, after earning back-to-back 2-1 wins over Mexico and Colombia to secure a second-place finish in the group, missing the top spot on goal difference. The Lionesses would proceed to defeat Norway in the round of 32, as Taylor assisted on Lucy Bronze's game-winning goal in the 76th minute. England then made history by knocking off Canada 2-1 to earn a spot in the semifinal round, as Taylor and Bronze both found the net in the opening 15 minutes to give England an early advantage.
After suffering a setback against Japan in the semifinal, England rebounded by earning a 1-0 extra-time win over Germany, who entered the tournament ranked No. 1 by FIFA, in the third-place game.
Taylor has scored a total of five goals in her international career, which began on March 8, 2014. The Portland Thorns' forward is Oregon State's career leader with 47 goals, leading the team in points each of her four years (2004-07). During her tenure, Taylor earned Pac-10 First Team honors four times, as well as a trio of NSCAA Far West All-Region honors, All-America recognition and Pac-10 All-Freshman honors.
Taylor is one of four English players have starred at OSU in this century. Goalkeeper Jo Fletcher (2001-02) of Maplas posted a 1.24 goals-against average in 39 games; defender/midfielder Rachel Axon (2007-09) of London was a mainstay on the 2009 Sweet 16 squad and was first-team All-Pac-10 and midfielder Jayne Eide of Lancashire started on the 2009-10 NCAA teams.
The Beavers will open their 2015 campaign with a match at Portland on August 21. You can find the full schedule here.
