Delaney Taylor quietly has become Warsaw’s all-time assist leader. (Photo by Mike Deak)

WARSAW – It’s not generally seen in the soccer world where the featured player enjoys seeing other teammates get the glory. That’s certainly not the case with Delaney Taylor.

Often, the striker is the last line between movement and celebration. Everyone knows the greats at the international level – Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele, Maradona, Mia Hamm – all great finishers. Not many people can rattle off the facilitators who helped make the scorers household names.

On a local level at Warsaw, it doesn’t take much to rattle off the great scorers in the girls soccer program. One of them, Meredith (Hollar) Smith, was the queen bee before Liz Van Wormer moved her down the list finishing with 70 goals in her illustrious career. One record Van Wormer really wanted, however, was the all-time assists record. She fell one shy, ending with 30, where Ashley Kitchens ended her career 15 years ago with 31.

Taylor, entering her junior season at Warsaw, was sitting in a flat-footed tie with Kitchens at 31 after her first two seasons. What’s more amazing about that mark was that Taylor had 14 assists her freshman year, but was a featured attacker with 18 goals. Taking more of an approach such as a Ryan Giggs or a Julie Foudy, where both could score at will but preferred to pass first, shoot second, Taylor ended her sophomore campaign with nine goals and 17 assists.

Just two matches into this season, Taylor found that golden assist against Chesterton. Taylor would get two assists that day to run her tally to 33, putting her by herself at the top.

“There really wasn’t a change in mindset, it’s just the idea of we play as a team, we win as a team,” Taylor said Thursday after the team’s win against NorthWood. “Whoever is open, you pass to. I wouldn’t have set the record if my teammates wouldn’t have made great runs and play with a team effort.”

Visually uncomfortable talking about her accomplishments, Taylor rather directed her skill set to how it compliments her teammates and the team’s goals for the season. In some programs, the special abilities that she presents on the ball would be a mandatory shoot and ask questions later approach. Not with the Lady Tigers, who have a roster full of players who can find the back of the net.

Six different players have scored at least one goal, Taylor having two of them to go with four assists and 35 assists and counting for her career mark. Abby Steffensmeier and Corissa Koontz both have three goals, and the duo plus Olivia Herman have netted gamewinners in the first two weeks as Warsaw is 4-1 and a top-10 team in Class 3-A. That’s what matters most to Taylor going forward.

“I’ve experienced what it’s like to make those long runs, to try to get open behind the defense,” Taylor said. “I can predict better of what they are going to do. I want to see my teammates do well, and our team do well.”

Noted by head coach Jon Hoover of Taylor’s play, “Delaney has really taken a step forward in maturity by looking to pass more. It helps our offense flow more when she is on the ball, and it certainly makes defenses have to pay more attention to where she is at all times. Because she can score, but she can also make that great pass to help a teammate get a look. She really is a nice weapon for us to have on the field at all times.”

Warsaw takes the pitch again Tuesday against Goshen.