By snoadmin
Humility is a rare trait amongst athletes, especially athletes at the collegiate level. It takes a certain amount of confidence to play sports at the next level, and sometimes the few who are gifted enough to play past high school aren’t afraid to talk up their talents.
Grace and Caroline Shevlin, the freshmen soccer twins out of San Diego, are about as humble as athletes can get. While it’s obvious the talent is there, the two aren’t about to brag, as they are admittedly still adjusting to the college game and the high competition that exists when one (or two in this case) plays for the defending Big West regular season champions.
“The game is much faster (now), and every game counts,” Caroline said.
In their freshman season, the twins have helped the 49er women’s soccer team compile a 9-4 overall record and go 4-1 in the Big West Conference so far.
At the age of 18, the twins have already compiled very impressive rÃsumÃs: Both girls were four-year lettermen at Westview High in San Diego, where they were no strangers to success on the soccer field. They won a CIF title in 2005 and made it to the CIF finals in 2006. Caroline won the 2007 Division-II Player of the Year in San Diego, and Grace was three times named second team all-CIF.
Yet the twins are not the only outstanding freshmen to join the 49ers. For the first time in school history, LBSU has had nationally-ranked recruiting classes, ranking in the top 40 in each of the last three years.
“It was a little intimidating at first, but all of the girls are really nice,” Grace said.
The chemistry is noticeable when you watch the women’s soccer team play, and it is evident that the Shevlin twins are a vital part to that chemistry.
While the twins may appear to be soft-spoken, doe-eyed freshmen entering the big leagues, they play with a drive to win every soccer game. They both played for the Under 20 Peruvian National Team in 2005. Gaining international experience taught Grace and Caroline to play a challenging form of soccer that has no doubt influenced their college games.
“We played in Brazil in 2006, and there was a language barrier,” Grace said. Caroline also added that “The girls were much bigger” in Peru and played extremely physical.
There is also a healthy competition that admittedly exists between the twins, which drives each of them to play at a higher level.
“Yeah, we’re competitive,” Caroline said. There is noticeable love and respect between the two, however, as Grace quickly pointed out that they also “support each other” on the field on a regular basis.
The Shevlins play soccer in a relaxed yet passionate manner, which reflects their San Diego upbringing and hard-knocks experience gained while playing for Peru. Caroline and Grace (aka Gracie) simply refer to each other as “twin” on the field, which shows both a comfort level and a talk-is-cheap mentality that sums up the way that they play.
The twins have not only earned respect from their teammates, but from their head coach as well. Head coach Mauricio Ingrassia, who’s responsible for bringing in six top 100-recruits to the team, said he sees something in the twins that goes beyond their physical play.
“They play at a very high level, and they’ve played for winning teams, but they’re also good people,” Ingrassia said. He also noted that the girls have “personalities that are focused and composed.”
