Eugene Van Taylor is a retired American soccer

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting ...

who spent two seasons in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: * North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league * North American Soccer League (2011–2017), a former Division II league {{disambig ...

, three in the American Soccer League and five in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He retired in 2015 after thirty years as the head coach of the men's soccer program at

Lander University Lander University is a public university in Greenwood, South Carolina. Campus and housing Lander University is located approximately one half-mile from uptown Greenwood, South Carolina. The main campus sits on 190 acres of land, though this d ...

. Van Taylor graduated from

West Essex High School West Essex High School is a four-year comprehensive high school, comprehensive state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school located in North Caldwell, New Jersey, North Caldwell. The high school is part of the West ...

where he was a Parade Magazine High School All American soccer player. He attended

Erskine College Erskine College is a Private college, private Christianity, Christian college in Due West, South Carolina. It is an undergraduate liberal arts college and a graduate Erskine Theological Seminary, theological seminary. The college was founded in ...

where he was a 1973 Honorable Mention (third team) All American soccer player. He graduated in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education. In 1982, he was inducted into the Erskine College Athletic Hall of Fame. He is ranked fourth on the NAIA single-game saves list.NAIA Soccer Records
/ref> In 1975, the

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independe ...

of the

selected Van Taylor in the first round of the NASL draft, but he never made the first team. The Cosmos traded him to the

Miami Toros The Miami Toros was a professional soccer team in the North American Soccer League from 1972 to 1976. The club was founded in 1967 as the Washington Darts, and moved to Miami, where they played the 1972 season in the NASL's Southern Division ...

in 1976 where he was Runner-Up for NASL 'Rookie of the Year'. In 1977, he played for the

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...

Gordon Banks Gordon Banks (30 December 1937 – 12 February 2019) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he made 679 appearances during a 20-year professional caree ...

' backup before moving to the

New York Eagles The New York Eagles were a professional soccer franchise that played in the American Soccer League from 1978 to 1981, with a one-year hiatus in 1980. The franchise played its first season in Mount Vernon, New York, then moved to Albany, New York f ...

of the American Soccer League in 1978. In 1979 and 1980, he played of the

Columbus Magic The Columbus Magic was an American soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio that was a member of the American Soccer League. They played their home games in Franklin County Stadium that they shared with Minor League Baseball's Columbus Clippers. The M ...

. In the fall of 1980, Van Taylor signed with the expansion

Baltimore Blast The Baltimore Blast is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The team is a part of the Major Arena Soccer League. The team has won 10 championships since it was founded in 1980. Beginning with t ...

of the Major Indoor Soccer League. He played six games then was traded to the

Phoenix Inferno The Phoenix Inferno was an American indoor soccer team in Phoenix, Arizona, that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1980 to 1983. In 1983 new ownership renamed the team the Phoenix Pride. The Pride folded at the end of the 1983–1 ...

. He remained with the Inferno through the 1983–1984 season when the team was known as the Phoenix Pride. In 1985, he was hired as the head coach of the

men's soccer team where he amassed over 350 wins and retired in 2015 as one of the winningest coaches in NCAA Division II history. He is also former manager of

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

outfit,

Palmetto FC Bantams SC United Bantams is an American soccer team based in Columbia, South Carolina that plays in USL League Two. The team is linked with professional English team Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional ...

References

External links

NASL/MISL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Taylor, Eugene 1953 births Living people American soccer coaches American men's soccer players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Columbus Magic players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Miami Toros players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983) players New York Eagles players Phoenix Inferno players Phoenix Pride players Erskine College alumni Soccer players from Ohio People from Portsmouth, Ohio Men's association football goalkeepers Soccer players from Essex County, New Jersey West Essex High School alumni