Troyan sisters stick together
ERIE — Where Taylor goes, little sister Mackenzie follows.
And soccer teams benefit.
The Troyan sisters have made their presence felt as goalkeepers at Butler High School and Penn State Behrend. Taylor is a senior and fourth-year starter with the Lions while Mackenzie is a freshman there.
When Taylor graduates in the spring, Mackenzie will take over between the pipes.
“Nothing is etched in stone, but we anticipate that occurring,” Behrend coach Patrick O'Driscoll said. “We'll bring another goalie in and Mackenzie will have to win the job, but we like her.
“We've very high on her ability.”
Mackenzie is confident in herself as well.
“I'm hoping to help the team continue winning AMCC (Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference) championships and get some of the awards Taylor has gotten,” Mackenzie Troyan said.
Don't bet against her.
Consider the following:
Taylor Troyan was named Defensive MVP and was an All-WPIAL goalkeeper at Butler. So was Mackenzie.
Taylor is a nursing major at Penn State Behrend. So is Mackenzie.
Taylor made Academic All-American with Behrend last year while leading the AMCC with 16 wins and seven shutouts and a 0.93 goals-against average.
Mackenzie hopes to follow again.
“I want to accomplish what she's done on the field, but there's pressure to keep my grades up to where hers have been, too,” Mackenzie said. “But I'm looking forward to stepping in there.”
Big sister — who carries a 3.6 grade point average — likes those prospects, too.
“I think it's awesome,” Taylor said. “It's pretty cool that the Troyan name is going to carry on here for another three years.”
O'Driscoll said the “big sister, little sister thing has been a good dynamic for this team. We tease them and have a lot of fun with it.”
The coach added that Behrend followed Mackenzie's club soccer career at Northern Steel the same way they followed Taylor.
“We knew (Mackenzie) could play and she was obviously very familiar with us,” O'Driscoll said. “The two really are different, though. Taylor is technically stronger in net, Mackenzie handles the high balls better. Taylor is more quiet and introverted, Mackenzie is more outgoing. Both are excellent additions to our program.”Taylor began her goalkeeping career at age 7, when her youth coach threw her into the position for a half “and I just loved it.”Mackenzie just followed along.“They (youth coaches) saw her do it, so they figured I could do it,” Mackenzie said of beginning her goalkeeping career.Both started at Butler for four years. While Taylor was the goalkeeper for four years, Mackenzie played defender in front of her as a freshman before succeeding her in the net.“Our dad (Denny Troyan) played a big role in developing us as goalies when we were younger,” Taylor recalled. “I used to beg him to stay after practice and work with us.“For a good hour after practice, he would stay and kick soccer balls at us. He did that for about five years, until we joined Pa. Crew and Northern Steel for more technical training.”Behrend has won four consecutive AMCC championships and has reached the league title game in eight of 10 years under O'Driscoll.Mackenzie got a good look at that run of success while playing for Butler.“She made it up here quite a few times the past three years,” Taylor said. “She's had a good look at the program and the school. She checked out other places, but I think coming here was her top priority.“I graduate this spring and I'm already a registered nurse. They have a tremendous nursing program here.”Mackenzie said she came to Behrend for multiple reasons.“A little bit of both,” she said of joining her sister and the nursing program. “We have a few family members who are nurses and I saw how Taylor has benefitted from that program.”Now the Behrend soccer program is benefitting from the Troyans.Taylor has a 1.88 goals-against average and a shutout in starting every game this season for the young Lions (8-6, 5-2). Mackenzie has gotten her feet wet coming in off the bench. She's allowed three goals on 11 shots in 123 minutes of action.“The game is a lot faster, a lot quicker,” Mackenzie said. “But I'll adjust.”Of course she will.Her sister did.
