New lacrosse field to be named in honor of former coach Meghan Mulqueen-Taylor
Wed, 03/02/2022 - 9:25am
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By:
Elizabeth Bush
In the movie “Field of Dreams,” Kevin Costner’s character famously heard a distinct message whispered among the cornstalks.
“If you build it, they will come.”
While the reference applied to baseball, the same could be said for lacrosse — especially on Daniel Island, where the community’s very own “Field of Dreams” is underway.
The South Coast Lacrosse Association’s “Lax Ranch” opened on the south end of the island in 2019 with its first field, added another in 2020, and now a third, the Meghan Mulqueen-Taylor Memorial Field, is in the works.
“Those (first two) fields have been really, really great for boys and girls lacrosse in the area ... and have been such a success in building the community’s love and involvement,” noted Daniel Island resident Greg Taylor, Meghan’s husband and a member of the lacrosse association’s board of directors. “It’s been fantastic!”
More athletes and organizations were welcomed to the Lax Ranch in 2021 than ever before, with more than 700 families using the facilities for boys and girls travel programs, local high school programs, local youth lacrosse programs, field hockey and more.
When growth necessitated the opening of a third field, Taylor jumped at the opportunity to secure a sponsorship to name it after his late wife, who was an All-American lacrosse player in college and later served as a Division 1 coach. In addition to coaching internationally,
Meghan was also the first girls lacrosse coach at Ashley Hall and at Bishop England. Considered an ambassador for lacrosse wherever she went, Meghan started the first all-girls’ lacrosse club and clinics in Charleston on Daniel Island.
“Meghan was a kind, loving and generous soul whose passion for lacrosse led her to coaching,” added Taylor. “(She) made a lasting impact on thousands of young female athletes here in the Lowcountry and beyond by instilling in them confidence, hard work, and a sense of team.”
The lacrosse association’s fundraising campaign for the Meghan Mulqueen-Taylor Memorial Field is about halfway toward meeting its $65,000 goal. Taylor also plans to purchase a stone monument to place at the field in honor of Meghan, who passed away in 2018 at age 47.
“It will be memorializing Meg and some of her accomplishments locally, as well as some of the things she did overall,” he said. “It’s really exciting for me and my girls.”
Both Taylor’s daughters, Hannah, 11, and Haley, 14, were taught to play lacrosse by their mother and continue to excel in the sport today. Many of their friends also benefited from Meghan’s coaching and guidance.
“They grew up with Meghan and the lacrosse programs that she used to run,” Taylor added. “I wanted to build (this field) while they are still here, before that age group is off to school ... while they can still remember the time she spent with them.”
The land for the field is being cleared now and sodding and fertilizing will come next. Taylor and the other members of the lacrosse association hope to have it open for play this fall and plan to have a dedication ceremony to commemorate the field’s launch. It will be a moment that will be especially significant and meaningful for Taylor.
“The dream has come through for a memorial field for the local person here on Daniel Island who really built lacrosse, built the women’s game here,” he said. “I am just so happy that I get to do it and that I get to be a part of it.”
Visit southcoastlax.org for more information about the South Coast Lacrosse Association.
To donate to the Meghan Mulqueen-Taylor Memorial Field fundraising campaign, visit southcoastlacrosseassociation.vendevor.com/items/view/33223/27288/1.