By Michele Barletta

Taylor Reis wasn’t ready to wave goodbye to the game of soccer after graduating from QU, so he hung up his boots, and picked up a coaching clipboard.

As a player, Reis helped the Quincy University men’s soccer team to a 2014 NCAA final-four appearance, and won the Great Lakes Valley Conference player of the year in 2015. Reis then graduated and from QU and went on to ply his trade from the touchline.

He joined up with his father, Greg Reis, as his assistant coach at Quincy Notre Dame high school. The Raiders went on to win the High School state Championship with the father-son duo leading them from the sidelines.

“It was such a special moment for me, to win that championship with my dad is something I will never forget,” Reis said.

Reis is now the assistant coach of the men’s soccer team at Quincy University, after spending two years as a graduate assistant whilst attaining his Master of Business Administration.

“It’s good to be a full time coach now, I can spend more time focusing on coaching and I feel like it gives me more to offer,” Reis said .

Reis is working under current head coach Mike Carpenter, who is now in this tenth season as the head coach of the Hawks. Reis believes working under Carpenter is a great way to enhance his coaching capabilities.

“I think Carp is a really good resource for me to learn from, he’s been involved for so many years and I think there’s still more I can learn from him,” Reis said.

Reis says that he has always had a soccer ball at his feet for as long as he can remember, its a sport the Reis family has always held dearly in their hearts.

But Taylor wasn’t the only son that Greg inspired to both play and coach “the beautiful game.” Cooper, the younger brother of Taylor, enjoyed great success as a QU soccer player. Cooper then spent a short stint as a graduate assistant coach at GLVC rival Lewis University.

Current QU soccer player Nick Chapman, says that he has enjoyed every minute of being coached by Reis.

Reis’ success and experience from his playing days makes his players look to him in more ways than one.

“Sometimes, there’s more to soccer than just on the pitch,” Chapman said. “Taylor always has good advice about how to deal with different aspects of the game, and I think that comes from him already going through it all.”

Craig Chisholm is another QU player who believes he has developed greatly under Reis.

“Taylor has such a deep tactical understanding of the game, and his team can have such an advantage over their opposition,” Chisholm said.

Reis has big plans to one day become a head coach and have a team of his own.

“I think I still have more to learn, but its definitely what I want in the future,” Reis said. “To put my own unique stamp on things.”