A soccer team made up of sisters is nothing new for Oglethorpe County. In fact, it’s a normal occurrence.
This season, the Lady Patriot roster has two pairs of sisters.
Twins Madeleine and Emily Forschler are in their sophomore seasons, while Emmaleigh and Hannah Hemingway, a junior and freshman, have taken the field together.
The Hemingway sisters discovered soccer when they were young and played on the same rec teams. But playing together in high school requires a new level of connection.
“It's challenging sometimes, but we do life together, so it's fun to do something that we're passionate about together,” Emmaleigh said. “It's just another thing that we're walking through life together with.”
It’s not always easy, though. Like between all siblings, tempers can flare.
“You have to get over your emotions when you're on the field together because you get irritated, so you have to learn how to just settle down and regroup and work together,” Emily said.
On the pitch, Madeleine and Emily utilize their twin telepathy to find each other and connect during plays.
It’s especially beneficial that Madeleine plays defense while Emily plays offense. The Patriots are able to cover both sides of the field more easily when that mentality plays out between the twins.
“Somehow, you know where the other one is and you just find them, like there’s nobody else on the field,” Madeleine said.
Outside the game, the sisters inspire the team to develop its own sisterly relationships. The Hemingways’ support and unconditional love for each other is contagious.
“They’re not a set of sisters that fight,” said Elizabeth Moncrief, who is in her first year as head coach. “They love on each other and talk each other up. And that kind of energy's contagious, whether it's between sisters or or just any girls.”
The family affair of Oglethorpe County soccer is nothing new.
Moncrief had two sets of sisters on nearly every team she coached in four years as an assistant with the program.
Last year, the Patriots had three pairs of sisters. This year’s team has a set of cousins, as well.
“It's just kind of normal life for us around here,” Moncrief said. “Sometimes, they'll pick at each other and everybody else just laughs, and we go on about our business.”