Taya had a highly successful freshman campaign wearing the red and black. Taya is very versatile in her skills and abilities and played every field position during the course of the fall 2018 season. She compiled the following stats; 9 Shots, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 6 Fouls, 3 Starts and 50 Halves Played. Taya played in every half of every match during her first year. She was often the first player off of the bench for the Mustangs. She possesses good speed and a physical frame that helped her be a contributor for the Mustangs. She was often used as an outside forward but also found time as a midfielder and a defender when the team needed her.
In the spring scrimmage season Taya continued to show off her versatility playing multiple positions in different scrimmages and situations for the Mustangs. As we look to the fall 2019 season we know that Taya will be a difference maker for the Mustangs. We are still unsure if she will have a permanent role in one position for the Mustangs or if she will continue to have differing jobs on the field depending on the opponent and situation.Merrell did a great job in the classroom during her first year and earned a spot on the Academic All Region IX Team. She also earned recognition on the Dean's Honor Roll both in the fall and spring semester. Taya is on track to accomplish her academic goal at Western and receive her Associate's Degree in May of 2020. We are happy to have Taya return and play one more year for Western.
