Taylor Chism
American soccer player (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taylor Marie Chism (born October 26, 2003) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for USL Super League club Tampa Bay Sun FC. She played college soccer for the NC State Wolfpack and the Auburn Tigers.
_009_(cropped).jpg)
|
Chism with the North Carolina Courage U23 in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Taylor Marie Chism[1] | ||
| Date of birth | October 26, 2003 | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Tampa Bay Sun | ||
| Number | 26 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Wilmington Hammerheads | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2024 | NC State Wolfpack | 47 | (3) |
| 2025 | Auburn Tigers | 18 | (2) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | North Carolina Courage U23 | 29 | (3) |
| 2026– | Tampa Bay Sun | 3 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:52, February 22, 2026 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Chism grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, as one of three children born to Marie Riley and Heath Chism.[2] She played youth soccer for local club Wilmington Hammerheads.[3] Chism attended Emsley A. Laney High School, where she was a two-time all-state and all-region honoree with the school's soccer team. She was Laney's top scorer in 2022 and ended her high school career with 50 total goals.[2][4]
A two-sport athlete, Chism also played basketball in high school.[5] In her freshman year, her defensive skills earned her a starting spot on Laney's varsity team.[4] Her offensive presence also steadily rose over the next few seasons,[6] and she became the team's leading scorer as a junior.[7] Chism has credited her soccer experience as a key factor in her ability to read the game and apply effective defense in basketball.[7]
College career
Chism elected to focus fully on soccer after finishing high school.[4] She joined the NC State Wolfpack in 2022 and made an immediate impact in her collegiate debut, scoring in a 4–0 victory over Rhode Island to help NC State kick off the season on a positive note.[8] She went on to make 14 appearances as a freshman, including 3 starts. On November 13, 2022, she played a season-high 110 minutes in NC State's NCAA tournament first round defeat to Vanderbilt.[3] As a sophomore, Chism became a regular starter. She played 11 complete 90-minute games and helped contribute to three clean sheets. Chism's junior year with the Wolfpack would prove to be her last; she started in all 18 of her appearances and played at least 70 minutes in each game.[2]
In December 2024, Chism transferred from NC State to Auburn University.[9] She, along with three other Auburn teammates, was named to the SEC preseason watchlist in August 2025.[10] In her lone season with the Tigers, Chism was named team captain, started all 18 of Auburn's matches, contributed to 6 clean sheets, and was named the program's Iron Woman of the season. She was also an offensive threat, recording 24 shots, 2 goals, and 2 assists as a set-piece target.[2]
Club career
In the summers before her sophomore and junior years at NC State, Chism joined pre-professional USL W League team North Carolina Courage U23. In 2023, she came on as a substitute in the league's championship match and registered a shot off the post as North Carolina lost to Indy Eleven, 2–1.[11] The following year, Chism ended up contributing to the Courage's first-ever USL W League title, playing all 90 minutes of North Carolina's championship win over the Colorado Storm.[12] She was named to the all-league first-team after racking up over 1000 minutes of play and scoring 3 goals.[13]
On January 29, 2026, USL Super League club Tampa Bay Sun FC announced that they had signed Chism to her first professional contract.[14][12] Chism made her pro debut two days later,[15] playing the entirety of a 2–2 draw with Spokane Zephyr FC to open the second half of Tampa Bay's season.[16]
