Balls Between Brothers

The team in green and gold stands on the field as rain pours down on them and their coach yells orders at the team. The whistle is blown. The players slide across the damp grass and rush past defenders as brothers. For some, that relationship continues off the field as well.

The soccer season has just started and a trend can be found on the roster of the varsity lineup; there are four pairs of brothers on the West High soccer team: the Shirazis, Zielinskis, Krupps and Frisbies.

Anthony and Patrick Shirazi ’18 are the only identical twins on the team and both play the center back position for West High. As twins, their competitiveness with each other is amplified. They compete in everything, from school sports to music. “It’s a forced competition, because we’re brothers,” Patrick said. Although they look alike, they are exactly the same. This translates into a boost in chemistry, Patrick said, “The team was a little shaky at the start, but should get better because we have a lot returning players.” Even so, they expressed hope for the season.

Kyler Krupp ’18 and Coleson Krupp ’19 both play in the midfield. Their relationship on and off the field is a little different. While they are competitive in both facets, Kyler still feels protective over Coleson to make sure he succeeds. “You just care about your teammates a little more than just an individual,” said Kyler. The fact that they’re brothers make the entire team feel closer. “They [the brothers] can connect with each other, they don’t argue with each other… and they have their own little plays,” said Brodie Schilling ’20. Schilling is a part of the varsity team with the brothers.

Most players on the varsity team played on Iowa Soccer Club, or ISC. Jacob Nyberg ’20, a player on ISC and the Freshman/Sophomore soccer team, said, “These kids [varsity soccer players] play for ISC so they already have huge background with each other.” This helps boost team chemistry immensely because they know each other’s abilities and playing styles. Also, players like the Shirazis who were on the freshman/sophomore team last year have moved up to the varsity team and have brought their special chemistry along with them.

The boys face off against rival City High on April 21 at home and May 17 at City this year and are hoping to capture two victories.