Kimball High senior Tayler Lennier is ready for the next level of women’s soccer, now that she has made her verbal commitment to play for Holy Names University in Oakland.

Lennier has played goalkeeper for the Jaguar team for four years and will attend the university on an academic and athletic scholarship.

She expects to continue playing goalkeeper for the Hawks, who compete in the NCAA Division II Pacific West Conference. She will also major in nursing with the intention of transferring to Samuel Merritt University in two years to complete her studies.

Lennier said her experience with West Coast Soccer and local coach Troy Dayak, a former Major League Soccer player, prepared her for her college opportunity. Dayak has been her mentor since she was 5 years old, and for the past two years, Lennier has been a member of Dayak’s West Coast Soccer Kryptonite team.

“He has taught me so much about the game, including formations, game management, nutrition, and how to prepare properly before each game,” Lennier said.

She added that West Coast Soccer allowed her to train with the West Coast Wildcatz of the Women’s Professional Soccer League and with goalkeeper Chelsea McIntyre.

“Chelsea saw my determination and desire for instruction to be the best goalkeeper I could be and pushed me at all our one-on-one sessions,” Lennier said.

She also credits Pat Onstad, the former San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper and one of Dayak’s former teammates, with being her inspiration as she got into competitive soccer at age 10.