Field hockey a family matter at Shawnee
Somewhere between the endless hours of practice, victory celebrations, and games lost, teammates become like family. But when the Shawnee field hockey team stepped onto the field last Thursday at Washington Township, four of the starters already shared a bond with a teammate greater than their jersey color.
Somewhere between the endless hours of practice, victory celebrations, and games lost, teammates become like family.
But when the Shawnee field hockey team stepped onto the field last Thursday at Washington Township, four of the starters already shared a bond with a teammate greater than their jersey color.
They shared DNA.
The braided ponytails of Erica and Sabrina Solomen swung together as the girls whispered, surveying their opponent. Erica, a freshman, and Sabrina, a junior, are both attackers and mirror images of one another, save for the color of their bouncing ponytails and numbers.
Gianna and Isabella Mancini tapped their sticks together before heading to their respective positions in the midfield and on defense. The junior and freshman efficiently passed the ball during the 5-1 loss.
"One of the nice things about having sisters on the team is that Shawnee field hockey is all about family," assistant coach Aimee Patterson said. "We are family, we play as a family, and having sisters on the team just really enforces everything that we've talked about."
The sisters have a magnetic attraction that can come only from years of living and playing hockey together.
When Sabrina plays the ball in the offensive circle, Erica makes herself available at the post for a pass to tap the ball into the goal.
"Ever since we were young we've been playing with each other," Erica said. "We've just had this bond since we started playing, whenever I'm on the field with her, I know where she's at, she knows where I'm at."
Isabella is quick to execute a powerful drive out of the Renegades' defensive circle to midfielder Gianna when needed. The two create a seamless flow to Shawnee's game because of their exceptional field vision that allows them to find one another.
"She plays back behind me, so I look for her to have my back on the field," Gianna said. "Off the field, I'll have her back since I'm her older sister, so she can look up to me."
Despite the age difference, the sisters look toward one another for reassurance during the game or practice.
"I feed off of her as much as she feeds off of me," Sabrina said.
When the uniforms come off, the sisters use living together to their advantage.
The Solomens, whose mother played for Shawnee, have a section of turf in their backyard. Isabella and Gianna use their opposite positions to scrimmage one another.
"She pushes me harder and makes me a better player," Isabella said. "She communicates on the field, and anytime you do something wrong, she'll say, 'Hey do this next time.' "
Having players who know one another inside and out helps the communication on the field.
"It's a different twist, but a good dynamic on our team to have four sisters starting on the field," head coach Renee Toliver said. "It continues with our tradition of us being a family and really trying to get them to understand the importance of being a family and a team."