Post by gatordog on May 12, 2011 22:48:36 GMT -5
by ben meyer-abbott ~ bmeyer-abbott@suntimes.com
May 12, 2011 .
The rivalry between two of the area’s best girls soccer teams got a new twist when the school district they share redrew its boundaries in 2009.
The changes — to accommodate the addition of Metea Valley — meant that some of the subdivisions in Naperville that previously fed into Neuqua Valley would now be diverted to Waubonsie Valley.
That’s how sisters Alexa and Kendall Wilde wound up on opposite ends of a rivalry that has claimed four of the last six large-school state championships.
“It’s actually kind of funny because we’re both a bit defensive at home about our teams’ strategies and don’t want to give anything away,” Alexa said.
Alexa, a standout senior midfielder for the Wildcats who signed with Baylor, was a junior at the time of the switch and allowed to finish at Neuqua Valley.
Kendall, a sophomore forward for the Warriors, was then an incoming freshman at Waubonsie Valley.
“There are some other families that have kids at both schools,” said their father, Matt Wildermuth. “But we don’t know of anybody else that has kids playing the same varsity sport and against each other.”
The unique situation has led to some interesting moments, like on the morning of Waubonsie Valley’s game against Alexa and the Wildcats in early April when Kendall came down for breakfast wearing her ‘Beat Neuqua’ shirt.
“I actually have two of those,” Kendall Wilde said. “I try not to wear them too much, but sometimes I’ll slip it on and there’ll be that awkward moment where she’ll take a glance at it.”
Pregame spirit wear aside – with double the games, practices and pasta parties – when the girls’ teams do play against each other, it’s a welcome break from what is a hectic schedule for the family.
It’s also a chance for both parents to be there to see both their daughters play, though it’s not without its own hazards.
“It’s nice when we play each other because they can show up at the same place at the same time,” Alexa Wilde said. “But they don’t know what side of the bleachers to sit on.”
Older Sis and top-ranked Neuqua Valley (20-0), which is seeking its first state title since 2005, came away with a 2-1 victory over the Warriors (15-5) in April.
But there is the distinct possibility the two teams could meet again in the sectional semifinals – with Waubonsie Valley gunning for its fourth state title in five years and second in a row.
“I’d love to get another chance against Neuqua,” Kendall Wilde said. “We’d like to bump heads again and see what happens.”
Of course, no matter what happens on the field, at the end of the day Alexa and Kendall are sisters and are supportive of each other.
“Every now and then on Sundays when we both have off we’ll go over to the soccer fields by our house and we’ll practice moves with each other,” Alexa Wilde said. “I’ll teach her some things and she’ll teach me other things.”
Just don’t expect the mutual tutoring to continue come the postseason.
“It’ funny because we did that before the game we played against each other and the next day I thought about her using the moves I showed her against my teammates,” Alexa Wilde said. “I don’t think we’ll be showing each other moves before we meet in the playoffs.”
yourseason.suntimes.com/home/5348496-390/boundaries-separating-sisters-from-being-teammates.html
May 12, 2011 .
The rivalry between two of the area’s best girls soccer teams got a new twist when the school district they share redrew its boundaries in 2009.
The changes — to accommodate the addition of Metea Valley — meant that some of the subdivisions in Naperville that previously fed into Neuqua Valley would now be diverted to Waubonsie Valley.
That’s how sisters Alexa and Kendall Wilde wound up on opposite ends of a rivalry that has claimed four of the last six large-school state championships.
“It’s actually kind of funny because we’re both a bit defensive at home about our teams’ strategies and don’t want to give anything away,” Alexa said.
Alexa, a standout senior midfielder for the Wildcats who signed with Baylor, was a junior at the time of the switch and allowed to finish at Neuqua Valley.
Kendall, a sophomore forward for the Warriors, was then an incoming freshman at Waubonsie Valley.
“There are some other families that have kids at both schools,” said their father, Matt Wildermuth. “But we don’t know of anybody else that has kids playing the same varsity sport and against each other.”
The unique situation has led to some interesting moments, like on the morning of Waubonsie Valley’s game against Alexa and the Wildcats in early April when Kendall came down for breakfast wearing her ‘Beat Neuqua’ shirt.
“I actually have two of those,” Kendall Wilde said. “I try not to wear them too much, but sometimes I’ll slip it on and there’ll be that awkward moment where she’ll take a glance at it.”
Pregame spirit wear aside – with double the games, practices and pasta parties – when the girls’ teams do play against each other, it’s a welcome break from what is a hectic schedule for the family.
It’s also a chance for both parents to be there to see both their daughters play, though it’s not without its own hazards.
“It’s nice when we play each other because they can show up at the same place at the same time,” Alexa Wilde said. “But they don’t know what side of the bleachers to sit on.”
Older Sis and top-ranked Neuqua Valley (20-0), which is seeking its first state title since 2005, came away with a 2-1 victory over the Warriors (15-5) in April.
But there is the distinct possibility the two teams could meet again in the sectional semifinals – with Waubonsie Valley gunning for its fourth state title in five years and second in a row.
“I’d love to get another chance against Neuqua,” Kendall Wilde said. “We’d like to bump heads again and see what happens.”
Of course, no matter what happens on the field, at the end of the day Alexa and Kendall are sisters and are supportive of each other.
“Every now and then on Sundays when we both have off we’ll go over to the soccer fields by our house and we’ll practice moves with each other,” Alexa Wilde said. “I’ll teach her some things and she’ll teach me other things.”
Just don’t expect the mutual tutoring to continue come the postseason.
“It’ funny because we did that before the game we played against each other and the next day I thought about her using the moves I showed her against my teammates,” Alexa Wilde said. “I don’t think we’ll be showing each other moves before we meet in the playoffs.”
yourseason.suntimes.com/home/5348496-390/boundaries-separating-sisters-from-being-teammates.html