Many factors helped shape East's Miller into player she became

Jun. 25—A genetic back issue kept Tayler Miller off the hardwood and from competing in indoor track for most of her prep career.

The issue — degenerative disc disease — happens when spinal discs start to wear and thin over time, causing pain. Miller said she often feels like she gets "stuck," especially after a soccer match. Her mom has the condition, as well as her grandmother, and surgery is the best treatment. However, Miller is too young to consider surgery, and even her mom was deemed too young for surgery in her 30s.

Regardless of the pain and discomfort, Miller excelled on the pitch for Cheyenne East. She scored seven goals — which tied for a team-high — and led the Lady Thunderbirds with five assists this season. Her goal against Cheyenne Central in a regional elimination match helped secure a trip to the Class 4A state tournament.

Those feats also led Miller to be named the inaugural WyoSports Cheyenne girls soccer player of the year.

With her sophomore season scrapped because of COVID-19, Miller wasn't going to take anything for granted going forward. She learned from that, and built on what she learned during her junior year to become the best version of herself she could be while guiding East.

"All of the learning experiences I had, going from junior to senior year, made a big difference," Miller said. "I feel like I was a leader last year, but this year, I really think I fell into a role of a leader even more. Not getting a sophomore year sucked, but it is what it is. But not getting that sophomore year, I got the drive to become a starter and to get as much playing time as I can."

Like all athletes, having a season taken away meant that the other seasons meant just a little bit more. In a way, it lit a fire under most kids, and Miller wasn't any different.

"I think all these kids have that COVID year that they lost, and the last two seasons have meant more to them, and Tayler worked her tail off to be a standout player and the engine of the team," East coach Rebecca Valdez said. "When she was named captain, she wanted to take on the role a little more, and wanted to be a player the girls go to when they need something."

Miller knew she wanted to fill those shoes and did whatever she could to make that possible.

"I practice outside of soccer just to get better because I want to be the best — that's what every kid wants," she said. "So, I did what I had to do to get the starting position, get the captain role, and it paid off."

Miller didn't just grow as a captain, she took strides with her play. She developed a better understanding of how to keep her team involved and how to help her teammates find success, Valdez said. The team-high five assists solidify that statement.

Compared to her junior season, where Valdez said Miller spent a lot of time playing up front, she truly embraced a midfielder role this season, where she could set up the team's attack.

"Her vision has gotten a lot better on the field. Last year, she would take everything on herself, and this year, she would set players up," Valdez said. "She was able to help her teammates shine, and she didn't always have it on her shoulders."

A versatile player, Miller grew up playing on the back line, and would play wherever she was needed during her freshman year for the T-Birds. Transitioning to a midfielder and spending time as a forward helped scratch an itch.

She just wanted to put the ball in the back of the net.

"I always had a drive that I want to score goals," Miller said. "I was a defender for the longest time, and I think I was just over that, and I was like, 'I want to score, I want to be on the attack,' and I think that's what changed (the past two years)."

During last weekend's Wyoming all-star soccer match in Gillette, Miller netted one goal in her team's 3-0 victory. Valdez said one of the referees of that match reached out to Valdez and said Miller was the most noticeable player on the field.

Miller signed with Laramie County Community College in May to continue her soccer career and will study to become an anesthesiologist. But, while on the field during her college career, she just wants to do what she did during that all-star game.

"I just want to stand out (in college)," Miller said. "I want to be the player where you go to a game and you're like, 'Wow, she's really helping out her team.' I just want to be the one that catches somebody's eye."

Robert Munoz is a writer for WyoSports. He can be reached at rmunoz@wyosports.net. Follow him on Twitter @rmunoz307.