Kansas City, Mo. – UMBC senior Taylor Calheira is one of 32 forwards nationwide who have been selected to the United Soccer Coaches 2023 NCAA Division I "Forwards to Watch."

The Taylor Calheira File

Accolades

• Just earned USL2 Player of the Year honors for the Chesapeake Region. The Christos FC striker earned the Golden Boot with 10 goals.
• Named 2022 America East Striker of the Year, UMBC's first major award winner since Malcolm Harris earned Defender of the Year honors in 2015. 
• The first Retriever Striker of the Year since Kay Banjo received that honor in 2014.
• Also tabbed to the 2022 America East First Team 
• Named to 2022 United Soccer Coaches Northeast Conference Second Team 
• Earned 2021 America East First Team honors
• Named to 2021 United Soccer Coaches Northeast Regional team
• Named the team's Most Valuable Athlete for fall of 2021
• Named to 2021 America East Fall Honor Roll
• Earned 2020 (spring 2021) America East All-Rookie Team honors

A Glance at 2022 

• Netted a career-best 11 goals and added seven assists in 17 games
• Finished the season tied for fifth nationally with 1.71 points per game
• His 29 points is the fifth-most (tied with Shawn Miller) for a junior in school history
• Set a school record by scoring 10 seconds into the contest versus St. Francis Brooklyn
• UMBC was 7-0-1 when he scored a goal 

Personal

• Calheira's younger brother Ryan, a freshman, joined him at UMBC as training opened last week for the 2023 campaign.
• The duo will form the 11th brother combination in UMBC soccer history. Both served as the president of Concordia Prep's Student Government Association
• Their father, Adauto Neto, scored over 100 goals in eight seasons with the Baltimore Blast

The USC's positional announcements also lead up to the 2023 watch lists for the prestigious Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy. The MAC Hermann Trophy is presented annually to the Division I National Players of the Year as voted by Division I College Coaches at the end of the regular season. The 2023 recipients will be announced on January 5, 2024, in St. Louis, Mo.

Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., United Soccer Coaches is the trusted and unifying voice, advocate and partner for coaches at all levels of the game. To learn more visit UnitedSoccerCoaches.org.

UMBC opens the 2023 campaign at George Mason on Thursday, Aug. 24 and plays the first of ten home matches on Monday, Aug. 28 when Old Dominion visits Retriever Soccer Park at 7:30 p.m.