Taylor Moreno Inks UNC-Chapel Hill Letter of Intent
She’s the top goalie recruit in the country and one of the most highly regarded high school women’s lacrosse players in the United States and now Taylor Moreno has made it official. The Huntington senior inked a NCAA Division I letter of intent to play lacrosse at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill next year.
“I chose UNC because of the school’s atmosphere, the team and the coaching staff,” Moreno said. “Everything about the school appealed to me. Just to be able to play for one of the best lacrosse programs in the country is an absolute honor.”
The senior is a remarkable all-around athlete. An All-State soccer goalie, Ms. Moreno won the Suffolk Division II long jump championship last winter and captured fifth place in triple jump in her first season in the sport. She decided to return to basketball this winter, a sport she played as a freshman before giving it up for two years. The teenager also became the first female player ever on the Blue Devil football team this fall. She kicked extra points.
“I looked at other schools such as Princeton, however as soon as I stepped on campus at UNC I fell in love with it,” said Moreno about her college choice. “Lacrosse has always been my number one sport. Starting off as a midfielder, I never imagined playing goalie. But one day during a PAL game it was my turn to play goalie and I fell in love with it and stuck with it from then on.”
Moreno had an outstanding summer lacrosse season this past year, winning a string of MVP awards in games and tournaments up and down the East Coast. Her fine play only enhanced her reputation.
“Moreno’s one of the more athletic keepers I saw over the course of the weekend, as the UNC commit is a great stopper and very comfortable out of her crease,” said a college scout who filed a written report from an Upstate New York tournament. “Great in clears and sparking transition, she reads shots incredibly well and has a game-changing presence in the goal.”
A superb student academically, Moreno always showed athletic promise, even when she was just five years old in a Washington Primary School kindergarten class. She was willing to try any activity and gave every sport her all-out effort.
“For this upcoming high school lacrosse season I’m hoping to walk away with at least a county championship,” Moreno said. “These past few years we’ve come so close to getting there, but fell short. This year we’re looking at a strong team with extremely talented players and I can’t wait to spend my last year playing alongside them.”