Lady Colonel soccer players Samantha and Sabrina Bledsoe are more than just teammates. They are sisters playing their favorite childhood sport on the collegiate level.
Sabrina, who is a junior and plays midfielder for the Lady Colonels soccer team, and her little sister Samantha, who is a freshman and plays midfielder and forward, said it is a dream come true to play soccer together.
“It feels good. I have been waiting for a while to play with her again. I haven’t played with her since high school,” Sabrina said.
“It’s awesome. It is just a great combination and treat to play with your sister in college,” Samantha said.
The Bledsoe sisters share many common characteristics – from their blue eyes and blonde hair to their quickness on the soccer field.
“It is very hard to tell them apart. They are evenly matched. They both are pretty quick and have really good skills,” teammate Cathy Sanchez, freshman midfielder, said.
Sabrina said teammates and people often confuse her and Samantha because they look so much alike.
“We used to confuse people because we look so much alike. People will call out ‘Brie’ when they are looking at my sister,” Sabrina said.
Sabrina also said that she and her sister love to spend quality time together working on other projects besides soccer.
“We are really involved with our church, and we both like to travel and camp a lot. We both are really outgoing and like to meet new people. We both got to play soccer together in Costa Rica a couple of years ago, and that was a good experience for both of us,” Sabrina said.
Samantha said the biggest advantage of playing with her sister is that the transition to playing with the Lady Colonels was made a whole lot easier.
“I got to know the team really quick because she was already friends with them. She is a good person to talk to if I need help. She has always been there for me,” Samantha said.
Jim Zakel, head soccer coach, said he is excited with the opportunity to coach the Bledsoe’ sisters.
“They are both excellent kids. They are great soccer players, students and great people. I am really fortunate to have them on my team, no doubt about it,” Zakel said.
Both Sabrina and Samantha were born in Fayetteville, N.C., and later moved to Bunker Hill, Ind.
In three years with the Lady Colonels, Sabrina has played in 29 of 30 career games. In 2002, she started in 13 games and scored two goals on three attempts. Throughout the Southland Conference, Sabrina has a reputation as one of the most physical players.
Zakel said he is proud of Sabrina’s achievements and accomplishments on the soccer field.
“She is no doubt playing the best soccer since she has been here at Nicholls. She is versatile, and she can play a lot of different positions,” Zakel said.
Despite being a freshman, Samantha’s resume contains a lot of impressive achievements. At Kokomo High School in Kokomo, Ind., Samantha scored 19 goals throughout her career. She was the offensive most valuable player her junior year, set the most assist record and was named to the All-County team in 2002.
In 2002, Samantha was the top scorer on the Indiana Cobras Soccer team. She also played five games of international soccer in Costa Rica.
Zakel said goal scoring is Samantha’s biggest trait because of her knowledge of the skill positions.
“She is a scorer. She is going to score a lot of goals for us this season,” Zakel said.
With a 2-3 overall record so far this season, both Samantha and Sabrina predict a successful season.
“We have a lot of potential. We have a lot of good players. We are a little better than last year, but we also have a lot of new players that have to gel,” Sabrina said.
“Even though we lost a few games, we are playing well together as a team so far,” Samantha said.
Although she insists that she loves her little sister, Sabrina said she is not the parent away from home.
“I always look after her, and I know where she is at. I am just the big sister, and that is all,” Sabrina said.
“We couldn’t be roommates. We are not that stupid,” Samantha