Allen's Andre Ireland and Tiago Troyano have signed with four-year schools. Ireland chose Missouri Valley College, while Troyano will be going to Lawrence Tech. The two plan to enroll for spring of 2022 after each being at Allen for three years.
Allen's Tiago Troyano plays the ball against Hesston. Photo by Richard Luken / Iola Register
One chapter ends and another begins as two Red Devil soccer players get ready to say goodbye to Allen Community College and move onto four-year schools.
Andre Ireland will be playing his final two seasons at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo. Tiago Troyano signed with Lawrence Tech out of Southfield, Mich. Both plan to enroll for the spring 2022 semester.
The men played three years at Allen, as opposed to the normal two years after most college athletes were granted an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic.
Ireland said his relationship with Missouri Valley’s head coach, Vladimir Simic, enticed him to transfer there.
“It’s a really good program and it’s the school that is going to take my game to the next level.”
The Vikings have one of the top programs in the NAIA. This year, their season ended in the national quarterfinals. The Vikings were ranked fourth coming into the game.Allen’s Andre Ireland bounces a ball off his body during a game.Photo by Richard Luken / Iola Register
“It’s going to be a great experience,” Ireland said. “It’s a great opportunity and I’m excited to go there and be the best I can be in the classroom and on the field.”
A native of Jamaica, Ireland has played 27 games as a Red Devil at defender.
“My time here at Allen has been great,” Ireland said. “I’ve met a ton of great people and made a lot of life-long friends. I’ve worked on myself in ways I wouldn’t even think about. Coming here was a great experience.”
One of the coaches Ireland credits for his progress is the late James Ross, a team assistant who recently passed away.
“I can’t even find the words to explain it,” Ireland said. “We were very close. The first day he was here, I shook his hand and welcomed him. He told me that’s why he respected me so much, out of all the players, I was the only one to come and welcome him. He had an effect on everyone. Even for the guys that weren’t getting a lot of playing time, he taught them to believe in themselves.”
In his three years at Allen, Troyano scored 17 goals as a right-wing back. Three of his goals secured wins for the Red Devils, the most in the Jayhawk Conference.
“Lawrence Tech is a great school and has the major I want,” Troyano said.
Troyano plans to study civil engineering. Lawrence Tech is ranked fifth in the nation among schools offering civil engineering, according to a U.S. News and World Report survey.
Troyano came to Allen from Brazil and played nine games as a freshman.
