A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Springdale’s Brooke Taliani

By: Ted Sarneso
Monday, October 28, 2024 | 10:05 AM

Brooke Taliani’s high school soccer career did not get off to the best of starts.

As a freshman, she missed most of the season after having knee surgery. Then, after she recovered, she twisted both of her ankles.

In her sophomore year, Taliani struggled to come back from those injuries, and last season, she tried hard to step up and be a productive player.

“Junior year, I was very chaotic with the ball,” she said. “It was difficult for me to get back to the way I was used to playing before the injuries, and I put pressure on myself to try and catch up.”

Coming into her senior year, Taliani recognized that she didn’t have to do it alone. She could put faith in her teammates to provide her the support she needed to get back to how she wanted to play.

“Her resilience to be able to bounce back is something to marvel at,” coach Marc Bentley said. “She was able to become more relaxed and composed on and off the field.”

Taliani’s turnaround is one of the reasons she was voted a captain by her teammates the past two years.

“It’s truly an honor,” Taliani said. “Just to be picked two years in a row shows that they respect me and appreciate me, and I respect them for that. I’m happy to be a leader and someone they can count on.”

Added Bentley: “She always keeps open channels of communication and always has a positive spirit even in tough situations. She’s someone her fellow grade level and younger players look up to.”

On top of solidifying the mental part of her game, Taliani made it a goal in the offseason to be fitter when the season came around and even got her teammates involved.

“We came together and did a lot of daily running, improving our pace when running a mile, and we did a lot of sprints as well,” Taliani said. “It was very difficult, and our coaches still have us run a mile every now and then just to test our fitness.”

The conditioning helped, as the Dynamos finished the regular season with a 13-1 overall record. They were undefeated (12-0) in Section 1-A and entered the WPIAL Class A playoffs as a No. 4 seed.

Taliani took some time for a Senior Spotlight Q&A:

Being a center midfielder, how proud are you that the team allowed only nine goals all season?

That shows how well we’ve performed as a defensive unit. We don’t give up many goals, and it’s a testament to our hard work and dedication in practice.

What would you say were the highlights for you individually?

Coming out of every game with a win, even though I know I haven’t played my best game, and I’ve gotten in my own head. The hard work I put in in the offseason, making sure I got out and ran every day, has paid off.

The last few years, Freedom has been a hurdle the team hasn’t gotten over in the playoffs. How motivated are you to beat them should you meet in the playoffs again?

They’ve had some strong players and a solid goalkeeper the last two years. Mentally, it’s going to be tough just due to those losses in the past. I think that with the right motivations, we can pull off a victory against them. We’ve come so close to winning the past few years that we feel we deserve this and we’ll work as hard as we can to win.

What was your reaction to being named all-section last year?

I was very proud knowing that my hard work paid off.

What lessons have you learned from playing sports?

It’s taught me to never give up. There are going to be hard times, and I have to work through them. You just have to be able to overcome the stress and improve yourself every single day.

Any hobbies?

I like to read and bake sometimes. I also like listening to music.

What’s your favorite book and what’s the last thing you’ve baked?

My favorite book is “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides. It’s like a thriller. And I love to bake lemon cookies at Christmastime.

What are your post high school plans?

I plan to attend a four-year university and major in elementary education.

What’s a fun fact people may not know about you?

I’m left-handed.

What’s one piece of advice you’d want to leave your teammates?

They should always try their best, play their best and support one another both on and off the field. If they do those things, they can achieve anything.

Tags: Springdale