East grad Tayler Miller one of six LCCC athletes moving on to four-year schools

“A coach wants a player who can play anywhere, so me moving around in the midfield was really helpful,” Miller said. “Plus, getting the captain position was helpful. I have the strength and confidence to do what’s needed to (be done).”

Miller suffered a right ankle injury early last season, and that lingered throughout the campaign as she played with a special ankle brace. She also continues to battle a chronic back injury. Despite those setbacks, Miller earned first team All-Region IX honors after tallying four goals and five assists.

She netted six goals and seven assists across two seasons, starting 29 of the 39 matches she played for the Golden Eagles.

“I didn’t have a lot of confidence or a leadership role my first year,” Miller said. “This year, I was a captain, and my confidence shot up a ton. That helped me play a lot better on the field and helped me coach the girls around me. That was an awesome experience.

“I also played a lot of attacking midfield my first year. This year, I played more of a defensive mid role. There was a mind switch where I had to remember to stay back and defend more than I had.”

Miller said the changing roles made her a better player. Her toughness and team-first mentality earned her the respect of LCCC coach Lugo Arenas.

“The determination and grit that she had and willingness to accept a different role than what she expected says a lot about who she is,” said Arenas, who is entering his second season with the Eagles.

Other LCCC signings

Two-time All-Region IX defender Kayt Ward signed with NCAA Division I Houston Christian on Wednesday for women’s soccer. The Utah product started all 39 matches she played for the Eagles, helping them tally 11 shutouts over two seasons.

Macey Woolcock — who was a second team all-region pick last fall in women’s soccer — signed with Oakland City University, which is a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school in Oakland City, Indiana. Woolcock started 35 of the 39 matches she played for LCCC, scoring 17 goals and assisting on 13 others. That included 10 goals and 11 assists in 2023. Woolcock scored the goal that helped the Eagles win the Region IX championship and head back to the NJCAA tournament.

Gael Hernandez is the seventh LCCC men’s soccer player to sign with NCAA Division II University of Colorado-Colorado Springs over the past three recruiting cycles. The 5-foot-10 forward spent one season with the Golden Eagles, starting 10 of the 13 matches he appeared in. Hernandez scored one goal and assisted on another.

Azael Marrufo signed with Colorado State-Pueblo, which has been the national runner-up at the DII level the past two seasons. The ThunderWolves have also developed a pipeline with LCCC, as Marrufo is the fourth men’s soccer player to sign with CSUP over the past three seasons.

The 5-11 forward was a second team all-region pick this fall. In all, he started 14 of the 28 matches he played in for the Eagles, scoring 11 goals and dishing out four assists. He posted eight goals and three assists this past season.

Setter Nicole Shaver redshirted her freshman season at DII Quincy University in Illinois before deciding to transfer to LCCC, where she took the court for her father, Zach Shaver. Nicole Shaver missed the first 15 volleyball matches of this season after making the late choice to transfer. She dished out 86 assists and notched 30 digs over LCCC’s final 16 contests.

Nicole Shaver will return to the DII level after signing with New Mexico Highlands on Wednesday.