Phil Anastasia: Tough season for Moorestown's Davis sisters

They are twins, so they share that special bond, that unique connection.

Unfortunately for the Davis sisters of Moorestown soccer, they have something else in common.

Alex Davis knows how Sam Davis feels, sitting on the bench and watching during the crucial part of the season.

Sam Davis knows how Alex Davis feels, playing the game with a knot in your stomach and a hole in your heart because your sister - your best friend, your most special teammate - is stuck on the sideline because of an injury.

Coach Bill Mulvihill said the Davis sisters are two of the nicest kids to pass through his program and two of the smartest players as well. Both were freshman starters, along with their sister, Jess, then a senior, when the Quakers won the state Group 3 title in 2005.

But in the narrow context of high school sports, the Davises are star-crossed: Despite their high level of skill and passion for the sport, they've spent less than half of their Moorestown careers together on the field because of a series of injuries to both.

"I tease them, 'I hope you have good insurance,' " Mulvihill said. "This is their senior year, and they've really only been together that one season as freshmen."

Alex is a senior captain and sweeper for the Quakers, who will play Lenape today in the final of the South Jersey Soccer Coaches Association Tournament. They also are the No. 1 seed in the South Jersey Group 3 tournament.

Alex said the Quakers' success, as well as the excitement of this time of the season, has created some "mixed emotions" for her, since her sister isn't playing.

Sam, a senior captain and striker, has been out since September with a head injury. She appeared in a couple of games at the start of the season but likely won't see the field again, although Mulvihill said it's possible she could dress for the state tournament and participate if the team needs a penalty kick after overtime.

"I'm playing for her," Alex said. "I know what it feels like to have to watch. I know how difficult that is. So I'm playing every game for her."

Sam said she felt the same way at the end of the 2006 season and all through last season. That's because Alex was out with injuries, having suffered a concussion midway through her sophomore season, then missed all of her junior season after injuring a knee during a showcase tournament in Texas in summer 2007.

Sam said coaches use to trick her, calling one of her teammates "Alex" so she would feel her sister was with her on the field.

"They would be like, 'She's Alex. Look for Alex's feet,' " Sam said.

Sam said this season has been the most difficult because the twins are seniors.

"Senior year is supposed to be the funniest year," Sam said. "We always thought we would have so much fun together senior year."

It's not what the Davis sisters had in mind back when Mulvihill met them as personable third graders who used to show up at their older sister's games.

For as long as they've played, the twins have worked well together. Alex almost always was a defender. Sam almost always was a striker.

They hope to fill the same positions in college. They plan to attend Towson University in Maryland next season.

"We've been together since we started playing rec when we were 6 or 7 and our dad was our coach," Alex said. "It's always been, 'I pass to her. I find her feet.' "

Even now, Alex said she finds herself during games looking for her sister's feet, even though she knows they are stuck on the sideline.

"I'm always looking for her," Alex said. "I'm always looking for her feet. . . .

"She's like the missing link to our team. We've been winning, and it's been great, but for me, it's not the same without Sam out there."