Herriman • BYU product Taylor Isom, the Utah Royals FC’s top draft pick, labeled the team’s first four days of practice “kind of a whirlwind.”
That’s not all that happened quickly for her at the Zions Bank Training Facility this week as she experienced life in the National Women’s Soccer League under coach Laura Harvey.
“The speed of play is definitely way faster,” said Isom, a former Alta High School star. “You’re playing with women who have been in the league for years and have international experience. So coming from college … it definitely is a transition.”
Ashley Hatch, Isom’s former BYU teammate, adapted easily. Hatch became the NWSL’s 2017 Rookie of the Year with the North Carolina Courage after being the league’s No. 2 overall pick. Yet as evidence of the professional lifestyle, Hatch was traded to the Washington Spirit in January, two days before the Royals drafted Isom at No. 14 early in the second round.
Career aspirations are different for Judge Memorial graduate Annie Hawkins, who knows she’s in the Royals camp as a practice player. She works a full-time marketing job and plays for the Real Salt Lake Women semipro team. Hawkins, who played for Gonzaga in the early 2000s, had much the same initial impression as Isom in terms of the NWSL level of play.
“It’s been extremely fun; it’s been challenging,” Hawkins said. “They’re so talented. … To be part of the training squad is just incredible.”
Isom’s immediate goal simply is making the team. The defender is a non-roster invitee in the Royals’ camp, which means she has to earn a NWSL contract to make the final 20-player roster.
“You definitely have to prove yourself every practice,” Isom said Friday when the team practiced then posed for photos and video introductions for the season, which begins in late March. “There’s no guarantees. You’re a professional now. You could be traded at any moment. You could be on the field, you could be [off].”
Reviewing her first week of practice, Isom said, “I didn’t really know to expect at all.”
Hatch, though, gave her some good advice, as Isom related: “Just have confidence in yourself and your abilities. You’re here for a reason. Everybody’s here for a reason. [Harvey] sees things that she likes in everybody.”
As for trying to make the team, Isom said, “I’m not that stressed about it. … When my mind kind of floats to, like, ‘Oh, am I going to get a contract?’ it starts to stress me out. But I’m not in control of that. I’m in control of what I do on the field and how I take care of myself off the field.”
If she succeeds in making the Royals roster, Isom will add to BYU’s presence in the NWSL. In addition to Hatch, Michelle Vasconcelos is in her first year with Chicago after being drafted in 2017 and missing the season due to pregnancy. Nadia Gomes was the No. 23 overall pick by Orlando in January, and Colette Smith is another non-roster invitee of the Royals.
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