Shaun Taylor stood against the locker room wall, appearing uncomfortable by the reporters interviewing him after the men’s soccer team disposed of Penn State University, 2-1, Saturday.

Taylor’s soft tones spoke volumes against the backdrop of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” blaring through the clubhouse as his teammates celebrated the victory. The 6-foot-3 forward from England quickly deflected questions about himself, instead giving all the credit to his teammates.

Taylor gave an early boost to the Terrier offense in the first half, sending a scorcher into the net to earn his third goal of the season just 11 minutes into play. The feat was huge for a team that has had trouble finding its rhythm in the first 45 minutes all season.

Taylor had positioned himself perfectly in front of the goal, received a pass from freshman Aaron O’Neal and hammered the ball home for his third goal of the season — tying him with Petur Sigurdsson for second place on the team.

The impressive thing about his eight points (three goals, two assists) is that they’re the proverbial cherry on top of his game. Taylor’s importance to the Terriers is based less on his scoring output and more on his ability to be the enforcer in the offensive end.

When BU’s on the attack, Taylor is not afraid to make contact in his fight for a position in front of the goal.

“Shaun’s a physical presence,” Roberts. “His size and strength are his major assets.

“He’s got to use his physicality more,” he added. “He has to focus on his physicality first, and his skills second.”

Despite his large stature, Taylor downplays his presence as an enforcer on the field. Taylor, who missed out most of last season because of an injury, believes smaller players can be more physical because they can throw their bodies around more.

“To be honest, it lets [smaller players] be more physical,” he said. “They can throw everything out into a tackle.”

Regardless, opposing teams have pegged the target on Taylor’s back because of his size, as several teams have deliberately fouled him throughout the season. It may be because of the frustration he causes opposing defenses, or it may be the fact that he always seems to find a way to gain position, but he takes all the abuse in stride.

“It’s part of the game,” said Taylor. “If that’s what they’re trying to do, that’s what they’re trying to do.”

That was no more evident than when Penn State deliberately took him out of play. Taylor immediately rose to his feet, brushed himself off and went back to playing soccer. There was no retaliation shove, no stare down. He just returned to action when play resumed, looking as cool-headed and composed as he did during his post-game interview.

“He’s a very composed guy,” Roberts said. “He knows he is going to get hit, that’s his job. He stays composed because that’s just his personality.”