Colts Neck’s Tagliaferri Goes Pro

By: Cathy Padilla | February 4, 2022 | Local | Colts Neck

FEATURED PHOTO: Francesca “Frankie” Tagliaferri

In the movie Creed, Rocky shares a bit of wisdom with Adonis as he asks the younger boxer to face a mirror.

“You see this guy here staring back at ya? That’s your toughest opponent…I believe that’s true in the ring, and I do believe that’s true in life.” The scene resonates with Francesca “Frankie” Tagliaferri, a midfielder, who last month signed with the North Carolina Courage Division 1 professional women’s soccer team that plays in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

“I think confidence is the hardest thing for athletes,” shared Tagliaferri. “There is no one that can stop you from achieving what you set your mind to if you believe in yourself. My mom always tells me that because she knows how hard confidence is to deal with. As an athlete herself, who played basketball at Monmouth University, she believes I can do anything I set my mind to if I continue to have an attitude that’s filled with confidence.”

The ability to find her confidence has made Tagliaferri a star athlete and now a professional athlete with a one-year contract with a second-year option.

“Adding Frankie to our roster is a great opportunity,” said Head Coach Sean Nahas. “She is a top-level young talent that has had a great career thus far through club, college, and the youth national team system, and she possesses great technical quality, game understanding, and passion for the game. We look forward to having Frankie in our environment and watching her develop and become a part of our growth here at the club.”

A Rutgers alum, and a highly decorated midfielder, Tagliaferri was named to the 2021 All-America First Team, the 2021 All-Region First Team, and the 2021 All-Big Ten First Team during her senior year with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Colts Neck native was also a 2021 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist, the 2021 Big Ten Midfielder of the Year, and a finalist for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award. Tagliaferri collected 25 appearances last year, all of which were starts, tallying 13 goals, nine assists, 35 points, and 49 shots on goal, while also collecting nine multi-goal games over the course of her playing career at Rutgers.

“My favorite soccer memory from college is definitely the Final Four against Florida State,” said Tagliaferri. “Regardless of individual accomplishments, my favorite achievement is helping bring Rutgers its first ever team Big 10 Championship. The Final Four was an amazing experience that I was able to enjoy with an incredible group of people at Rutgers, and the way we played and fought until the very last second is something I will forever be proud of.”

Prior to transferring to Rutgers, Tagliaferri spent three seasons at Penn State, graduating earlier in the year. While with the Nittany Lions, the midfielder was a four time Big Ten All-Conference player, named a 2020/2021 United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American, and also earned a nod for the CoSIDA Academic All America Third Team. Twice she tied a Big Ten and Penn State record for four assists in a single game, and in 2020 led the Big Ten in points (29) and was second in goals (10) and assists (9).

“At the end of my eighth-grade year I was offered a scholarship from Penn State,” said Tagliaferri. “By my sophomore year, I verbally committed to play soccer at Penn State. I went there my first four years of college and graduated with a degree in kinesiology. There I accomplished many individual achievements, but teamwise we won four Big Ten Championships. I decided to transfer back home to Rutgers to play a fifth year, which was granted to all athletes due to Covid. I wanted to spend this last year at home with my family, driving only 30 minutes to go home for dinner, or to go see my younger brother play as he’s an athlete as well. The four years I was at Penn I missed seeing my family all the time and I felt like I was missing out on so much my brother was doing. I wanted this time with them before I started my professional career. My brother is 12 years old and he is a stud football player. I hope I have been a good enough role model for him to continue chasing his dreams, because he will accomplish even more than I have!” Now Tagliaferri will make the move to North Carolina, as the Courage play home games at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.

“Having this opportunity to play for the NC Courage, as well as the coaches and players there, is an absolute dream that I am beyond thankful for,” said Tagliaferri. “Playing in the NWSL, in general, is a huge honor, and has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. Thank you so much to the Courage and all the staff within the club for giving me this opportunity, I can’t wait to get to work.” Tagliaferri started playing soccer at four-years-old. At first she ran around with all the other kids just chasing the ball, but after a year or so her parents realized she had the talent and work ethic needed for the sport.

“Growing up one of my favorite movies to watch was Dare to Dream. It’s about the players and US Women’s National Team in the 90s that truly changed the game for us women players,” shared Tagliaferri. “It became my dream to play professional soccer. I knew I found the thing that I love to do, especially since it was so easy for me to work hard while doing it. When you love something, it’s never a sacrifice to do it, it’s never a dread, and it’s the most rewarding feeling when you do get to play it and set goals to accomplish. That’s why I knew it was my dream and knew I could accomplish it.”

Tagliaferri credits her parents and family with giving her the opportunities, confidence, and drive to achieve her dreams. Her parents, Tracy and Frank, her brother Trey, and her extended family that includes Grandma Candy, Grandpa Bruce, Aunt Jenny Liggio, Uncle Matt Liggio, and four cousins (Matthew Liggio, a sophomore football and track athlete at Colts Neck High School; Christina Liggio, a freshman basketball star at Red Bank Catholic; and twins Katie and Tessa Liggio, both 8th grade basketball players at Cedar Drive Middle School), went to every game.

“Throughout all of this, my parents took me where I needed to go in order to get better whether it was a 10-minute drive or a flight away,” said Tagliaferri. “They have supported me throughout my whole journey as a soccer player. I cannot thank them enough for shaping me into not just the athlete I am today, but the person I am as well. So, to my mom and dad, when you read this, know that I love you guys so much and thank you for everything. I am very lucky because I have such a great family that always supports me anywhere I go. My parents, grandparents, aunts, and cousins were always at all of my games no matter how far they were, and it always meant the world to me.”

When asked what advice she has for younger athletes, Tagliaferri says she continues to set goals and to believe she can achieve them. “Whether you’re an athlete or not, for life in general, set goals for yourself and don’t let anything get in the way of them,” said Tagliaferri. “If you find what you love to do, then it will never be a sacrifice to prioritize it before other things. Always go that extra mile for your dream, and that means to always put in more work than all the other people that want to achieve the same. I can’t even try to count the number of times I went to extra training sessions, stayed after practice to get some extra sprints in, picked soccer over a school dance or gathering of friends. And it was all worth it.”

“My parents, grandparents, aunts, and cousins were always at all of my games no matter how far they were, and it always meant the world to me.”