A fierce competitor, on and off the field

Two days before Taylor and her North Andover High teammates faced Norwell in the Division 2 state lacrosse final, the senior goalie decided to dye her hair bright purple, the latest of many times that Taylor has changed the color of her hair this season.

Taylor played the final game of her high school career in the Scarlet Knights’ 15-6 loss to Norwell last week at Babson College, capping the program’s best season with its first appearance in a state final.

Her impact in North Andover will not soon be forgotten.

Four years ago, Taylor and her family moved here from a small Pennsylvania town. Growing up 45 minutes north of Philadelphia, she was introduced to lacrosse by her older brother Mark, a goalie who is slated to play his junior year at American University this fall.

“She’s just a great story,’’ said North Andover coach Karen Lahey of the 18-year-old Taylor. “She came here with such a cool background and she’ll definitely be remembered as the anchor of our defense during this season.

“She came in as a freshman and started as a sophomore,’’ added Lahey. “She’s been through a lot; goalie is a very isolated position and then coming in as the new kid, she had some adjusting to do.’’

Adjusting, and overcoming adversity, has almost become routine for her.

At age 2, Taylor was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder that caused permanent damage to her hearing.

“She got very ill after her second period of immunizations,’’ said Taylor’s mother, Deena. “She was having seizures, a fever, and her ears were filled with fluid. It led to esophageal ulcers,’’ she said.

Doctors told Deena and her husband, Keith, that surgeries might help restore the young girl’s hearing.

“It was the toughest decision for us when we were presented the option of having the operations or fitting her with a hearing aid,’’ she recalled. They decided to allow the operations, and then began learning sign language.

Taylor endured 17 surgeries over a three-year span, which resulted in 30 percent of her hearing being restored in her left ear, and 75 percent in her right. Working with a speech therapist for eight years, she learned to speak and read lips.

After battling through her medical issues, the 5-foot-3 Taylor has developed into a fierce competitor on the field.

“She was a freshman playing on travel teams and college scouts thought she was a junior or senior because of the way she carried herself,’’ said Lahey, who led North Andover to a 20-5 mark this spring and was named the Globe’s Division 2 Coach of the Year.

“She’s a quiet leader. She’s not ‘in your face,’ but she has a confidence about her. I’ll miss her because of the unique relationship she and I developed.’’

In the fall, Taylor will be heading to Siena College, a Division 1 program in Loudonville, N.Y., where she plans to study history with a minor in creative arts.

She is one of seven seniors from Lahey’s roster lined up to compete in lacrosse and hockey at the collegiate level. Captains Jenn Pino, Carolyn Barclay, and Bri Connelly will be joining the lacrosse teams at Merrimack College, Boston College, and the University of Vermont, respectively. Sadie Graham is headed to Westfield State, Amanda Wescott will play at Bates College, and Emily Vento at Stonehill College, all playing lacrosse, while Katie Kleinendorst will skate for the women’s hockey team at the University of New Hampshire.

With 13 seniors graduating, Lahey has a few holes to fill before the program moves up to the MIAA’s Division 1 next spring.

For Taylor, the transition to college athletics is one she both relishes and confidently embraces. Her first experience playing on a girls’ team came with the Scarlet Knights, but she had played goalie for a boys’ team for three years.

“It certainly can’t be as tough as getting used to playing at a new high school,’’ said Taylor with a laugh.

“I remember my first game, I got yellow carded and didn’t even know why. I came in and checked a girl on the first play and got the yellow card and didn’t even know what was going on. It took a little time to get used to the rules and the style. Girls’ lacrosse is more about finesse, whereas I was used to playing with guys so it was just about hitting each other.’’

Off the field, Taylor is an artist. Cultivating a passion for drawing and painting, Taylor was asked to draw a mural along a first-floor hallway at North Andover High. Her subject?

“The beach,’’ said Taylor. “I figure no high schooler wants to be at school and would rather be at the beach, so it’s a beach theme. It’s funny because my dad has a PhD from MIT and he thought I’d be going into math or science, but I’ve always had a creative streak that I’ve held close.

“As far as my hearing, it’s a nonissue, really. Sometimes I won’t hear coach yelling at me from the sidelines, but that can be a good or a bad thing.’’

Sapna Pathak can be reached at sportsgalsp@gmail.com.