Kelly Calligan, Assistant Photo Editor

Freshman center Ashling Taylor plays water polo with such a fierce passion that some college coaches were hesitant in recruiting her out of high school because they thought she might be too difficult to handle.

As a prep player, she already had a personality, charisma and a knack for leading a comeback.

San Diego State water polo head coach Carin Crawford said she first saw the Newport Beach native play in Newport Harbor’s matchup against Santa Margarita High School late last February.

“She pretty much turned the whole game around,” Crawford said. “Her team was down by three or four goals, and she single-handedly got the team back in the game.”

Playing water polo was a simple choice for Taylor. It matches her disposition.

“The reason I like (water polo) is the intensity of the players,” Taylor said. “I really like fighting with the girls. I just really get a kick out of it. In general, (water polo) is pretty much wrestling under seven or eight feet of water.”

Taylor is referring to the underwater jostling that goes on underneath the referee’s vision.

“Girls will kick, punch, claw, whatever,” Taylor said. “I just get a rush out of it.”

Added Crawford: “(Taylor’s) kind of a heavy-metal girl. She’s extremely competitive, and she’s extremely aggressive. For that reason, I think she does better for us in the more competitive games.”

It seems like the struggle only helps Taylor play better, and she’ll likely step it up the more aggressive it gets in the water.

“The more physical her defender’s playing on her,” Crawford said, “the better it is for her.”

Taylor can frustrate offenses with her defense, playing with versatility in a position not generally regarded as one that is defensive.

“Usually (the center position) is so demanding that we don’t ask that person to do a lot of defense,” Crawford said.

Taylor’s scrappy play has sometimes resulted in opponents losing their composure and being kicked out of the game.

“She’s subtle,” Crawford said. “She holds; but any good center does. I’ve seen other opponents get very angry and usually they do something stupid that Ashling benefits from. She’s drawn a lot of kickouts for us.”

Taylor’s unrelenting style of play rubbed her teammates the wrong way at first, though, Crawford said. She would even rip her teammates’ swimsuits even in practice.

“I think in the beginning it was hard for the upper classmen to accept her,” Crawford said.

But, in the end, Taylor has been instrumental in helping SDSU play with more ferocity against opponents.

“I think she’s made everyone play better defense,” Crawford said. “I think she’s really had to earn respect (from her teammates) the hard way, and she’s done it by proving herself in big games.”

Taylor didn’t hesitate proving herself from the beginning of the season. In her first game on Feb. 11, she scored the game-winning goal against Santa Clara in the final seconds.

“I don’t think I could ever forget her first college goal,” Crawford said. “(The team was) really nervous our first game, but she stepped out and scored the game winner.”

In her rookie campaign, Taylor has scored 23 goals in 26 games, including two against No. 1 USC on Saturday, while shooting almost 40 percent.

The key to Taylor’s success has been her ability to use her ambidextrous scoring touch, challenging defenders with her ability to score from either hand.

Crawford has been surprised by how easily Taylor can score with her left hand.

“She (has) developed a pretty good shot with her left hand,” Crawford said. “I think (Taylor) truly is ambidextrous. I’ve never seen anyone in all the years I’ve been coaching that’s that good with their left hand.”

Taylor said the upperclassmen who first butted heads with her are now helping her succeed. There have been times she has been unhappy with her performance and has gotten a welcome jolt of encouragement from her teammates.

“I got really down on myself,” Taylor said. “They helped me out of it.”

And Taylor’s confidence can only help to speed up her progress.

“I think she’s developing great,” Crawford said. “She’s playing at a very high level right now. And I feel there’s so much more improvement that is ahead of her. I see her being an All-American candidate within (her) next three seasons.”