Sisterhood abounds on Bulldog soccer team

“When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder, who stands a chance against us?”

— Pam Brown, Australian writer, editor and poet.

SANDPOINT — Rare is the chance for siblings to play varsity sports together. Rarer is the chance for three sets of sisters to play on the same team, but such is the case for the family-friendly Sandpoint girls soccer team this season.

If there is power in sisterhood, the Bulldogs have it in spades, with senior identical twins Alanna and Athena Robinson, senior fraternal twins Laurel and Katie Flood, and sisters Kaylee and Nan Kiebert taking the pitch for the Bulldogs.

So what’s it like for Bulldogs head coach Conor Baranski, who has the extremely rare and unique opportunity to coach three sets of sisters on the same team?

“I would assume it would create drama, but it absolutely does not,” says Baranski, noting five of the six are starters. “Two of the sisters I’ve never heard argue once.”

For the Robinsons, key starters who have been sharing the pitch together for the past 10 years, there is an accountability factor at work, both on the field, the byproduct of living with a teammate. Baranski says the pair bring a wealth of positive leadership to the pitch, and a quiet confidence that permeates the team.

The twins admit to saying things to one another they wouldn’t dream of saying to other teammates, but at the end of the day, they have each other’s back.

“If I get down on myself, she’ll say ‘you’re fine,’ and I know it’s real. It’s like having a big cheerleader,” describes Athena, who loves playing with all of the sisters. “It provides a unique atmosphere. It’s like three built-in teams within the team.”

The Kieberts bring some high octane speed and competitiveness to the Bulldogs’ attack, flanking each other as forwards with senior Kaylee posting four assists and two goals and sophomore Nan four goals and two assists.

Kaylee is thrilled that she got to play two varsity seasons with her younger sister, and feels the two know each other’s playing style like the back of their hands. They admit that while they might yell at and critique each other on the pitch, when they go home they’re still sisters, and both feel the interconnectedness of all three sisters benefits the team as a whole.

“They’re both extremely competitive and hold themselves to high standards,” says Baranski of the Kieberts. “Which means they hold others to high standards as well.”

The Floods bring sharp decision making to the midfield, having played soccer in Sandpoint since they were in kindergarten, and feel the familial connections help the team.

“I feel like we’re more united as a team because some of us are sisters,” says Laurel. “We’re all pretty good friends.”

Baranski feels the Floods’ positive demeanor offers a nice complement to the team chemistry.

“It’s a nice yin and yang between them and the Robinsons and Kieberts,” admits Baranski.

The Bulldogs face Moscow today with a trip to state hanging in the balance. Last year the Bears pulled off an upset, and the Bulldogs will be looking to exact some revenge tonight.

“If we do what we need to do and play up to our potential, we should be looking to win state,” says Baranski, whose team is 8-0-3 in the past 11 games. “Some of our best attributes this year have been determination and playing 80 minutes.”