CENTERVILLE—Image being on the soccer field and not being able to hear what the coaches or other players say. That’s what it’s been like for Taegan Frandsen since she started soccer as a 4-year-old. But now that she’s a member of the United States Women's Deaf National Team, she’s found her place. She’s playing with teammates who are experiencing the same thing she is.

“This is the first time I’ve been around people like me,” said Frandsen, who graduated from Viewmont High in 2021. “They all understand what I’m going through. I’m not the odd person out.”

It’s a culture shift, she said. “It’s so crazy. They know what makes it easier for you. It helps with the team culture too.”

Frandsen was born with an enlarged vestibular aqueduct, the narrow canal that runs from the inner ear to the skull. “The tube is too big,” she said. “That causes the fluid in my ears to fluctuate (causing hearing loss). I was born with more hearing than I have now. It’s progressive so it will go until I have no hearing.”

Frandsen said she started playing soccer when she was 4 or 5 years old. “I switched to keeper when I was 8. I’m 21, so for 13 years. “I started playing goalie for two reasons, I hated running and fell in love with it and the adrenalin rush.”

It’s so much fun to be the person everyone depends on, she said. “It’s stressful but rewarding.”

In 2021, the Deaf Women’s National Team held an open camp, said Frandsen. “Players came from all over. You had to pay to play. It was kind of a tryout. I was invited back to camp and made the roster.”

The Deaf Women’s National Team officially joined the U.S. Soccer’s Extended National Team program in 2022. “We were funded by the soccer federation so from here on we don’t have to pay for anything,” she said. “We had to fundraise $5,000 to go to Brazil. That’s a huge commitment so we’re lucky we don’t have to pay.”

The team played in the Deaf World Cup against England, Japan, Turkey and Poland, said Frandsen. “We beat everyone and beat Turkey again in the final in 2023. We won the Gold Medal and I won the Golden Glove for the best goalkeeper of the tournament. It was awesome.”

Last month the team played Australia in a historic match, she said. “This is the first time an international match was held in the states. It was the first game that was televised. It was a great opportunity for (potential) players to want to be on the team. There was a great influx of players after Australia. About 600 people reached out to us.”

Frandsen said it was different playing on hearing teams growing up. “I wouldn’t say it was hard. The coach would adjust for me and they were really inclusive. They just had to understand that if they yelled at me across the field I wasn’t going to hear them. They’d give instructions during halftime.”

There was a learning curve, she said. “But it wasn’t as dramatic since I started so young. My coaches would try different ways to find what worked for us.”

The elements are especially difficult during a game, said Frandsen. “The wind affects my hearing aids. Sometimes I will cup my ears to block the wind.”

Being on the team has given Frandsen the opportunity to visit other countries. “I’ve gone to so many places that I wouldn’t have gone to,” she said. “They weren’t countries on my bucket list. It’s cool to travel and experience another country.”

Frandsen said she also got to experience how others sign in different countries. “During the Deaflympics we would all go to eat and we’d talk to other countries. It was interesting to see how ASL is in Britain, etc. Sign language is different in all the countries.”

After the Australian game was televised, Frandsen said so many deaf kids told her she was an inspiration. “One mother said ‘my son plays soccer. Now he can see people who are like him.’ Sometimes you think you’re the only person, that no one else in the world is like me. I want to be a role model to let them know they’re not the only ones in soccer like them. I would have killed to have a role model.”

Frandsen is a senior at Weber State University studying zoology and hopes to become a veterinarian. “I do some personal training on the side,” she said. “When I’m not with the team I try to get some soccer in as well.”

Goalkeeping can be stressful, said Frandsen. “If you make a mistake you can miss a huge goal. It helps to have the memory of a goldfish. After the game you can’t dwell on it forever. During the game I picture a toilet you flush after the game.”