Troccoli Stands Tall, Stands Out For Gators
Thursday, September 3, 2015 | Soccer
By Taryn Bray
GatorZone.com Writing Intern
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Out of the 15 new names on the Florida soccer roster, one has really stood out so far.
And not just because midfielder Sarah Troccoli is 5-foot-11.
Through four regular season games, Troccoli has two goals and an assist. Her five points are second to team leading scorer and star forward Savannah Jordan, who has five goals and one assist (11 points) thus far. And there's little doubt in those numbers will continue to grow for Troccoli, maybe even Friday night when No. 8 UF (3-1) faces Oklahoma State (2-1) at Pressly Stadium.
“She's been great,” Jordan said of her rookie teammate. “She's shown up on the stat sheets and is making big things happen for us.”
Troccoli, who hails from Troy, Mich., has been donning the Gator jersey for a bit longer than the typical freshman, having graduated from high school early and enrolling at UF in January. She feels building that team chemistry early on was extremely helpful for the smooth transition into the fall season.
As for how she landed at UF, well, that was partially an accident.
“When I went to watch [Sarah's travel] team play, I was in fact going to watch somebody else,” Gators assistant coach Alan Kirkup recalled. “But as it turned out, Sarah was easily, for me, the one that we preferred. You could see that things revolved around her.”
Now, Troccoli is not only blending in for the Gators, with their mix of veterans and huge dose of youth, she's showing up and making an impact.
“She brings a lot of help to our midfield by combining and being creative,” said junior midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard. “She sets up plays and is a force herself.”
Added Kirkup: “She's special. Everyone's only seen a glimpse of her so far, but she has the ability to score goals with both feet and her head. Not many players have that ability.”
One of her two goals this season came in the form of a header off a corner kick from senior defender Christen Westphal in the Gators' 3-2 victory Sunday against defending national champions Florida State.
Speaking of scoring goals with her head, Troccoli towers over some defenders, giving her an advantage on set pieces, but that hasn't always been the case.
“I haven't always been this tall,” she said, laughing. “I used to be really short.”
Luckily for her, things have changed. Not only with her height, but with her strength as well.
At the beginning of the spring season, strength and conditioning coordinator Karin Werth said Troccoli was barely able to squat 65 pounds. At the end of the summer, she'd doubled that.
“The leg and core strength that she's improved helps her stay on her feet when she has contact with another player,” Werth said.
Troccoli also believes it has helped her game, stating that she's noticed she's been able to win more balls.
She recently received SEC Freshman of the Week honors, which Burleigh attributed to her being much more comfortable playing the way she wants to play.
Troccoli also said she has felt more comfortable playing in the past few games because she finally realized her teammates and coaches trust her and want her to play her game.
“On the field she just fits in perfectly with the way we play,” Dougherty Howard said.
Off the field, Troccoli is the first to admit she's a bit shy and hard to get to know at first, but that hasn't stopped her from forming great friendships with her teammates. That helps things mesh on the field.
“She's really goofy and gives a really good vibe to the team chemistry,” said Dougherty Howard. “She's really personable,” Jordan added. “I say she's kind of awkward, but she's hilarious and one of my great friends. I think our off-the-field relationship carries onto the field.”
Clearly, they work together well.
Jordan had the assist on Troccoli's first goal of the season against Miami and in return Troccoli had the assist on Jordan's opening goal against FSU.
She's off to a great start, but Troccoli also understands that all it is. Just the beginning.
When asked if she sees herself becoming a leader on the team down the road, she humbly stated that she's only focusing on this season and doing what she can for the team right now.
“She's already been a little bit of a leader,” Burleigh said. “She's good at communicating information and I think she'll get more and more comfortable in that role as she's here.”
