Play together, stay together
“All kinds of weather, we stick together
The same in the rain and sun
Two different faces, but in tight places
We think and we act as one”
– “Sisters” by Irving Berlin, from the film “White Christmas”
When first-year girls soccer coach Gabe Escobar divvies up his squad to scrimmage, he takes care to separate the sisters Manchester. In part, it’s for their own good. And in part, it’s for the good of his East Valley High School team.
“You know how it is with brothers and sisters,” he said. “I know Bryana and Morgan’s older sister and their family. They’re all very competitive – in a good way. They go at each other so hard – they’re fiercely competitive. And when you put them together, there’s a closeness and a camaraderie there that you don’t find anywhere else.
“I think it’s been really good for this team to have that kind of a relationship as a role model.”
It’s a familiar dynamic, the coach said. Whether they be brothers or sisters, no one goes after each other as hard as a sibling. And heaven help anyone else who tries.
“It’s true,” senior Bryana said. “We’ve always been like that. No matter what the sport is, we’re just really competitive about it. At the same time.”
That sibling competitive fire has been stoked by years of playing together.
“We’ve been on the same team for everything,” junior Morgan said. “Basketball, softball, especially soccer. Right now we’re playing together on two teams – our school soccer team and our club team.”
In fact, one of the few times the sisters did not play together on the same squad was during Bryana’s freshman year. Neither is especially looking forward to next season.
“I’ll still play, but I’m not looking forward to it,” Morgan admitted. “I know it just won’t be the same.”
“I’m trying not to think that far ahead,” Bryana said. “I just want to enjoy the rest of this season and the rest of my senior year. I still haven’t decided what I’m going to do next year. I’d like to play soccer somewhere and, hopefully, there’s a chance that the two of us can play on the same team in college.”
For now, the sisters play side-by-side in the middle for the Knights. Together they treat the area in front of their goal like a toll bridge: if you want to cross, you’d better be prepared to pay.
Neither is happy unless they come home with grass and dirt stains on their uniform. A few blood stains would be even better.
“We like to play a physical game,” Bryana said. “If someone comes into our area, they’re going to have to pay the price.
“When the two of us play together the way we do, we can take chances and play more of an aggressive style because we always know what the other is doing.”
This year, that confidence has spread.
“We’ve got a couple teammates that are just like that,” Morgan said. “We know each other’s game so well that we don’t have to say anything. We’re just there. That only comes from playing together.”
The Knights will be the No. 2 Greater Spokane League seed into the Class 3A district tournament after dropping a heartbreaker at home to top-seed Mt. Spokane on Tuesday.
East Valley battled the Wildcats to a scoreless tie through 80 minutes of regulation play and an additional five minutes of overtime only to surrender the winning goal in the second extra period.
Adding insult to injury – the Knights had a goal disallowed late in regulation off a throw-in. The referee ruled that the ball was not touched in the field of play.
It was the team’s second-straight overtime loss.
“We lost at Mead on a golden goal in overtime,” Escobar said. “We went toe-to-toe with Mead on their home field only to come away with a loss.”
“Those two losses were killers,” Bryana said. “We have to find a way to put them behind us and keep moving on. Now we know that we’re going to have to go on the road to start the playoffs, and we have to be ready.”
The Knights close out their regular season next week with a match at home against University Wednesday and at Ferris on Friday. Both games start at 4 p.m.