Fresh out of tryouts, the girls who have been chosen to be on the JV and varsity soccer teams fill up coach Matt Sullivan’s classroom. They are anxiously waiting to find out who their big or little ‘sister’ will be for the rest of the spring season. Once they find out, each JV player is paired with an older varsity player and they will then try to learn as much as they can about their new ‘sister’.

“The big and little sisters program has been in place for ten years now,” Sullivan said. “I came up with it as a way to bring the JV and Varsity teams together. Pairing up two sisters is pretty random, I just try and put the oldest with the youngest. Overall, this program has done a lot to build a bond between our older players and younger players and has made it a lot more fun for our JV players, because most JV teams have little to no contact with their varsity counterparts.”

As sisters, the girls are responsible for notifying each other about schedule changes and giving each other rides to and from practices and games when needed. One of the main focuses, according to Sullivan, is for the girls to keep an eye out for each other.

“I’ve been playing soccer for a little over three years,” freshman Emma Harper said. “Fenton soccer is definitely a big deal to me; my other teams were good but they weren’t the same as this one. We have such a good program, it’s all about the love instead of winning or losing. The most important part is that we’re a team and we try our best. We have a ton of fun, but we also work our butts off to be as great as we are.”

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PHOTO Dow Kaenpracha

Every week during practice, the girls work on their offense, defense and footwork strategies, but they also use this time together to bond and become closer to their sisters.

“Being closer as a team really does affect the way we play,” junior Kara Kinser said. “When we all have bonding time together, we connect as friends and we all get to know each other better, which really helps us connect on the field.”

Along with helping each other improve on their skills for a game and keeping an eye out for each other, the girls are also responsible for coming up with different ways to bond with their sisters. For example, after games and during their free time at practice, they go out to get ice cream, candy, and slushies together as a team.

“We’re always helping each other out,” senior Emma Evo said. “It’s all about the love in our program and that’s why I love it so much. I personally try to help my little sister by always encouraging her when she’s on the field and giving her little tips to make herself better. We’re all so close, being with each other all day and knowing that we’re playing for the girl next to us is what makes us such an awesome family.”

Currently, both teams continue to work on defense, offense and footwork strategies to prepare for their upcoming games against Flushing on May 8. With their final game scheduled for May 25, the girls will continue to bond and work to become even closer as a team for the rest of the spring season.