Growing up, sisters Haydn and Mackie Burdeny were both incredibly well-rounded athletically.

Older sister Haydn loved volleyball and basketball, while Mackie was a running enthusiast, always participating in track and cross country. When push came to shove, though, and the pair had to pick a sport to specialize in long-term — both of them chose soccer.

Both sisters played together for two years in high school while at Sturgeon Heights and each had stints with the Manitoba Blizzard, an elite girls' club team. Unsurprisingly, they had stellar chemistry offensively.

"I remember us playing very well together," Mackie noted. "I'd play fullback and [Haydn] would be on the wing."

Prior to joining the Bisons in 2016, the older sister — who stands at 5'7" — had no experience playing on the back end. That all changed in Haydn's rookie season however.

"I remember one year in provincials, my coach was like 'man, you'd be a good centre back. You have the height, you're sturdier.' And I was like, no that's a terrible position, I want to score goals. And then I started Bisons and I guess [head coach] Vanessa, [Martinez Lagunas] because she's so soccer smart, she saw that too and was like 'no, you're playing here."

Understandably, it took a little while for Haydn to get comfortable in her new position, but by the end of her first year she had cracked the starting lineup and has been a fixture ever since.

She credits fellow starting fourth-year centre back and former team Rookie of the Year Shaylyn Dyck in playing a large role in her development.

"Shay, being a rookie in that position, I look up to her so much. Even now still when she talks to me on the field I'm like yes, anything you say. You've been here a while you know what you're doing. She's been starting since she got here so I look up to her so much.

Now it just keeps getting more natural to me. I've noticed even in drills in my first year, I would always want to be up there scoring, but now I'm naturally in front of the net trying to block more than I'm trying to score. It's still weird to me if I think about it. I'm much more defence-minded now than I used to be. But I like it. I get to go up on corners because I'm tall, so I still get a chance every now and again to get a shot which is nice."

Mackie on the other hand, didn't switch positions when she arrived at the U of M last season. She's always been a winger, using her speed, cardio and footwork to create copious opportunities for her teammates. As a matter of fact, this year after getting home from team fitness testing, Mackie went for a run. She also played in every contest as a rookie in 2018, starting ten games while adding two assists.

The 2019 season has been no different, as the younger sister recorded her first assist in the second game of the year against Regina on an excellent cross finished by impact freshman Jessica Tsai.

"I've always had the same kind of style, even when I was a kid of running as fast as I can and doing as many fakes as I can. I think it's funny how after so many years of playing I still have not changed. I feel like that's what I'm best at, so I'm going to use it."

But at the same time, the second-year knows where she needs to improve this year.

"I need to score. I know points aren't everything, but I need at least a couple of goals this season. I score any time it's not in season, like in Mexico or in tournaments."

On the pitch, whether it be high school or university, the pair have always kept things professional.

"I've seen some sisters who are super everything together. We respect each other," Haydn says. "We'll go out together every now and then, but on the field, I try to see her as my teammate. I try not to get too protective."

At the same time, sisterly instincts do kick in every once in a while, including this past weekend in BC when Mackie took a ball to the stomach and was in some discomfort.

"I get into big sister mode sometimes if I see her get hurt," says Haydn. She's really tough, she never has injuries, so if she goes down, I know that something's wrong and I'm going to go in there and make sure that she's fine."

With the pair's natural chemistry, it shouldn't be too long until Haydn is able to set up Mackie for a goal, which is one of her main objectives this year.

"I think that would be so fun, a Burdeny assisting a Burdeny goal. And we can do that because I'm a centre back so I can just give her one of my long balls. I watched a lot of her games growing up. She's been dragged to all of my games. We know how each other play."