BOULDER — Following a debut season for Colorado when she was named Pac-12 freshman of the year and a summer when she continued to prove her value to U.S. national teams, Taylor Kornieck seems primed for a huge season with the nationally ranked Buffs. She may have an exciting new role on the team, too.
Kornieck was an attacking midfielder last season, scoring 11 goals to rank second in the conference, but as CU opens its season at Colorado State on Friday, coach Danny Sanchez is experimenting with playing her at forward. He is encouraging her to think of her role as similar to that of Lionel Messi, the superstar for FC Barcelona and Argentina’s national team.
Kornieck said she was “edgy” about the idea until talking it over with Sanchez on Wednesday.
“I felt I was being drawn away from the team because forwards are kind of out of the mix, but he mentioned to me that he (already) knows what I can do as an attacking mid,” said Kornieck, 18. “He’s trying to see if I can be like a free player, just go anywhere I want to try to get the ball. I think this is going to be a good position to me. He mentioned Messi, because Messi, you never know what position he’s playing. I’m real excited.”
Kornieck played two games with the U.S. Under-19 national team this summer in the Czech Republic and four with the U-20s against England and Germany in friendly games. She had a goal and two assists, seemingly solidifying her chances of playing for the U.S. next summer in the U-20 World Cup.
One of the games in the Czech Republic was against the Czech Under-19 team, but the other was against the full Czech national team, a game during which Kornieck had an assist. The experience she gained this summer was invaluable.
“Especially against the full Czech national team, I learned to make really quick decisions because they’re used to playing with other full women’s teams,” Kornieck said. “That was a really big opportunity for me to know what it would feel like to actually be in a World Cup some day.”
CU is ranked 25th in the preseason coaches poll — the team’s first preseason ranking since 2007 — returning eight starters on a team that went 15-6-1 last season and tied for second in the conference with eventual national champion Southern Cal. Kornieck said the team goal at a minimum is an NCAA tournament bid.
“And hopefully a Pac-12 championship,” Kornieck said. “USC lost a lot of players, so I think we can beat them this year.”
Kornieck is on the preseason watch list for the Hermann Trophy, the equivalent of the Heisman for college soccer players.
“I don’t want to look back at my freshman year and say that was my best year,” Kornieck said. “I want to make sure I keep developing as a player and hopefully just keep rising up.”