Taylor Blood '17, a member of the U.S. National Development Team who helped the Boston University field hockey team claim back-to-back Patriot League titles as a student-athlete, returned to the program as an assistant coach in June 2021. Blood spent the past three seasons as an assistant at UMass Lowell.
Blood helped the River Hawks earn their first winning record at the Division I level this past season as they posted a 7-5 mark and qualified for the America East tournament. The regular season culminated with a win over No. 16 Stanford - an eventual NCAA quarterfinalist - which was the highest-ranked opponent the River Hawks have ever defeated.
Blood was named to the U.S. National Women's Development Team following her senior season at BU and had the opportunity to compete internationally against the Chilean National Team in May 2018. She competed internationally in 2019 in the Netherlands against Belgium U21 and Scotland senior national teams and was selected to tour Scotland in 2020 before it was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
During her three seasons at Lowell, Blood recruited student-athletes from across the world and assisted on all tactical and technical aspects while administering individual practice sessions to aid in skill development. She focused on working with the team's goalkeepers and strikers and also oversaw film breakdown, social media and team travel.
Prior to UMass Lowell, Blood served as an assistant at Merrimack for the 2017 season and coached six Warriors to all-conference honors including one Division II All-American. Blood created practice plans, scouted opponents and planned all accommodations for road trips while assisting in recruiting efforts.
Blood has also coached with the NorthEast Elite Field Hockey Club since 2016. In that position, she has coached various clinics, camps and training sessions with the program, which is ranked in the top 10 nationally.
At BU, Blood totaled 47 career points (16g, 15a) in 80 games and was a key member of the 2014 and 2015 Patriot League championship squads. She earned NFHCA All-Region and All-Patriot League accolades in each of her last two seasons and tied for first among all PL players in assists as a senior. Blood received the BUFHA Spirit Award in her final year and graduated from Sargent College with a degree in health science.
Blood has stayed connected with the program as a member of the BU Field Hockey Alumnae Council, collaborating with 14 other former Terriers to assist in fundraising initiatives and take part in strategic planning with the coaching staff.
