A double feature in women’s soccer

Story and photo by Jonathan Fraser

It’s not every day you come across twins, much less identical twins. It is even more unlikely that you’ll see those twins playing on the same sports team.

At Pima Community College, the volleyball team has a set of twins, sophomore outside hitters Krista and Erin Kallish. However, the women’s soccer team has two-upped them with two sets of freshman identical twins.

Sisters Susie Hansen (No. eight) and Sarah Hansen (No. 9) arrived at PCC from Buena High School. Celeste Carrera (No. 3) and Czelene Carrera (No. 14) came from Flowing Wells High School.

Parents of the Aztecs have shirts with their daughters’ last names and numbers on the back. For the twins, the parental shirts read “8-9” and “3-14.”

Women’s soccer head coach Kendra Veliz said she wanted both sets of twins to play for her. She actively recruited them in pairs, but was prepared to take them individually.

Veliz managed to successfully recruit both pairs of twins and establish a promising young core for PCC on offense and defense.

Naturally, there must be better chemistry between each pair of twin sisters, right?

The Carrera twins think so. They believe they are able to play off of each other.

Celeste Carrera, a forward, said at times she can telegraph where her sister, a midfielder/forward, will be on the soccer field.

“When we are playing, I just know that she will be there,” Celeste Carrera said.

On Sept. 13, Czelene Carrera scored a goal off an assist by her sister. Not to be outdone, Celeste Carrera had a streak through Sept. 25 of four matches with at least a point, including two goals during that stretch.

The Hansen twins, both of whom are defenders, do not think they play any better with each other than they do with other teammates. However, Veliz has a different opinion.

Veliz said that she definitely notices better chemistry between the twin pairs, “especially with the Hansens when they play on the same side.”

The Hansens admitted that life as a twin can be difficult at times.

They explained it can be hard to play a game if they have been fighting, and said disputes that might normally be left on the soccer field may find their way home.

“At the end of the day, I still have to go home with her,” Susie Hansen said.

To add even more pressure, people compare the twins to each other at times.

Czelene Carrera said people will judge them on the basis of, “Why can’t you do it if she can?”

But the twins do not let those types of things get them down.

They won’t reveal their secret twin languages, but do like to converse with their non-twin teammates in English.

The four have the same goal: to make the playoffs and eventually nationals this year.

It has been said that becoming a champion requires lots of hard work and a bit of luck.

Perhaps having two sets of identical twins will give the young PCC women’s soccer team a quadruple boost.

Women’s Soccer loses three of their last four

Czelene Carrera, Susie Hansen, Sarah Hansen and Celeste Carrera

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