Meet Avery and Evelyn Anderson, the competitive twins sparking Nevada in girls soccer

The first day of girls soccer practice at Nevada got a little testy.

Twin sisters Avery and Evelyn Anderson were going at each other. Avery is an elite forward for the Cubs and Evelyn is one of the best fullbacks in the state, so naturally they face off against each other during drills.

Neither player will give up an inch to the other. It can get a little physical.

“In practice, it’s pretty bad,” said Avery. “We’re usually up against each other, one-on-one, and we’re physical. We will push each other to the ground.”

So, on the opening day of practice, Avery passed the ball out of bounds, and Evelyn told her to make sure the ball was easy to get for her teammates. Avery did not like that, so they started arguing, and it got a little heated.

“There is always this constant banter between them,” said Nevada sweeper Mady Gibson. “You can probably hear it on the soccer field. They do a good job of making each other work.”

Nevada coach Randy Davis had to calm things down.

“They’ll take each other out,” said Davis. “It’s to the point where we have to say girls, we can’t hurt each other.”

They eventually did settle down.

“He told us we still had to be teammates,” said Evelyn. “We had to hug it out.”

But that competitive drive is what makes the twins, both juniors, among the best players in the state at their respective positions.

“I might be a little mean,” Evelyn said. “But I just try to make her better.”

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The sisters started playing soccer together around the time they were in kindergarten. They usually played midfield and forward, but when they hit junior high, coaches started noticing they would make excellent defenders.

“We saw them play as seventh graders, and they both were playing midfielders and forwards,” Davis said. “You do see that competitive spirit in them, and talking to them we said hey, the quickest way into the starting lineup is through defense. Evelyn jumped all over that.”

Evelyn had already started playing defense in club ball.

“I was 13 and my Ames coach told me to go play defense,” Evelyn said. “I stayed there since then. I liked it.”

Avery, on the other hand, was born to put the ball in the net.

“I really love scoring,” Avery said. “If I don’t score, I’m a little upset.”

Last season as a sophomore, Avery netted 24 goals in 18 games to help Nevada make the state tournament in Class 1A for the 11th year in a row. That led the team by a wide margin, and it tied her for the 20th-most goals in 1A.

“She knows how to move and get open,” said Nevada midfielder Tori Meinecke. “It makes it really easy to pass the ball to her.”

This season, Avery has nine goals in five games following a hat-trick during Tuesday's 12-0 victory over Grand View Christian. Her three goals against GVC came while she was nursing an ankle injury.

“I was so excited to play today because I wanted to score,” said Avery. “They (Avery's teammates) make it easy for me to score, especially Tori.”

Evelyn did not let her sister have all the glory though. Even though she is on defense, she netted two goals herself against the overmatched Thunder.

“I had two out here today,” Evelyn said. “I’ve just got to work a little harder for them.”

But as competitive as they get with each other, the sisters ultimately want what is best for each other and the team.

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When they are on the field together, Nevada is a force to be reckoned with. The Cubs entered the week ranked No. 5 in 1A.

“They’re such incredible athletes,” Gibson said. “No matter the game situation, they’ll always work to be their best.”

The twins are always thinking of the team first.

“Us not playing well will affect how our team plays,” Evelyn said. “We just need to be better for each other.”

The Cubs have a tough schedule coming up with games at 2A No. 5 North Polk on Thursday, a tournament in Council Bluffs on Saturday, and another big road game at 2A No. 10 Adel-Desoto-Minburn on April 16. They will need the twins to be at their best.

“My goals are to score against hard teams we have coming up,” Avery said. “We have multiple games coming up that are going to be really challenging for us.”

They may get testy with each other at times, but when the Andersons are clicking the game becomes an enjoyable experience for everyone involved with the Nevada program.

“They just like to have fun,” Davis said. “They love soccer. That’s what makes it fun for me.”

Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Nevada's Anderson sisters standout on the soccer field