GIRLS' PREP SOCCER: Elizabethtown's Perkins signs with EKU (02/03)

After Taylor Perkins had once again scored a game-winning goal against his team, Central Hardin coach Hal Bender joked about the Lady Bruins’ luck stopping the versatile Elizabethtown senior.

NATHANIEL BRYAN/The News-Enterprise

Elizabethtown High School senior midfielder Taylor Perkins signed a national letter of intent to play soccer at Eastern Kentucky University on Thursday afternoon in the EHS commons area. Seated, from left, are sister Graysen, mother Tammy, Perkins, father Todd and sister Madison. Standing are EHS principal Steve Smallwood, EHS girls’ soccer coach Jerry Crabtree and EHS athletic director Doug Barnes.

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“Man, will I be glad when that girl finally graduates because she’s a heckuva player,” Bender said Oct. 13 after Perkins scored the game’s only goal as her Lady Panthers edged the Lady Bruins in the Girls’ 10th District Soccer Tournament final at John Hardin.

Well, she is getting closer to graduating and has closed the door on her future, celebrating her decision to play on the NCAA Division-I level for Eastern Kentucky University during a signing ceremony Thursday afternoon in Elizabethtown’s commons area.

“I’m very, very, very excited,” said Perkins, who admitted she had actually made it official day early during National Signing Day. “It was the first thing I did. I woke up and signed it and then came to school and faxed it.”

With no family and personal ties to Eastern Kentucky, the Richmond school might have seemed like a strange fit. However, the Colonels were the first team to start recruiting Perkins after seeing her Louisville-based Mockingbird Valley 94 club team play in a Walt Disney World showcase after her junior season with the Lady Panthers.

“After my first visit, I knew that was the place that I wanted to go, the college that I wanted,” said Perkins, who also visited potential suitors Eastern Illinois and Evansville. “I compared and chose EKU.”

Perkins said Eastern Kentucky’s close proximity was a big plus over Eastern Illinois.

“That was like the main reason because Eastern Illinois was like five hours away and Eastern Kentucky is two, two and a half,” said Perkins, who liked Eastern Kentucky’s school layout and setup better than close by Evansville. “The (Eastern Kentucky) campus for one, it was small but big at the same time. And Evansville was old and seemed like it was in a bad part of town and I never really felt comfortable there.”

Perkins was comfortable on the soccer field for Elizabethtown, though. She was at least an All-Area honorable mention all four seasons for the Lady Panthers, not to mention earning All-State honorable mention as a junior and district all-tournament and region all-tournament as a senior.

She plays center midfielder for Mockingbird, said she has been told she’ll play midfield at Eastern Kentucky and played every position but goalkeeper for Elizabethtown.

“Probably center mid is where it’s at for me, but I can play anywhere and I don’t mind,” said Perkins, who had 21 goals and nine assists in her Elizabethtown career. “I’ll play anywhere you put me, but I think center mid is my position.”

Head-ball specialist is not an official position, but Elizabethtown coach Jerry Crabtree said Perkins excels at that ability – especially in the clutch. As a sophomore, Perkins headed in the game’s lone goal to lift the Lady Panthers past Central Hardin for Elizabethtown’s ninth straight 5th Region Tournament title.

“She’s a good leader, an outstanding player and she’s just excellent in the air,” Crabtree said. “She’s probably one of the most controlling midfielders and one of the best defensive midfielders we’ve got. When we needed someone to come back and defend, she came back and defended. When we had someone get hurt and didn’t know who to play right away, we threw her back there.

“She did have some good games against Central Hardin, that’s true, but Taylor has had some of the best head-ball goals from a high school girl that I’ve ever seen,” he added. “She had one in an Oldham County tournament when she made a run to the near post and just caught it and flicked it inside the far post – just a beautiful goal. And that’s one of our strengths. She’s got good skills, she’s got good speed, she’s got strength, she can jump and she’s very good in the air.”

Nathaniel Bryan can be reached at (270) 505-1758 or at nbryan@thenewsenterprise.com