WOMEN SOCCER: Seeing Double

Twins Jill and AndreaTwins Jill and AndreaCallaghan are bringing theirTwins Jill and AndreaCallaghan are bringing theirsister act to Penn next fall As the Callaghan sisters line up on either side of the field for the Morrestown High girls' soccer team, opposing teams tremble in fear as they realize that are facing not one, but two of the best high school players in the state of New Jersey. Morrestown High School has been a girls' soccer powerhouse over the past four years due in large part to the play of identical twins Jill and Andrea Callaghan. Actually, Jill and Andrea are two of three triplets -- the other sister, Crissy, is a fraternal triplet. The sisters are two of the best players ever to play at Morrestown High School, located in the South Jersey suburbs. Between them, they scored 202 goals and dished out 106 assists during four varsity campaigns at Morrestown High, a soccer power that compiled an 87-13-6 record and won a pair of state championships in the Callaghan era. "When we met him, Penn became one of our choices," Jill said. Baker recruited the sisters for Penn as he coached them and played a big role in their decision to become Quakers. "We were both pretty much set on Penn from the start," said Andrea, who added that they were also recruited by local schools such as Rutgers and Trenton State. "We weren't looking to go to a top soccer school. We're both hoping to play a lot and we were looking at academics first." If the Callaghans, or anyone else, impress in the pre-season practices, they can expect to receive plenty of playing time. "I don't care if they're a freshman or a senior, my best 11 players are going to start. Indeed, Penn is not one of the top programs in the country. However, the squad has turned things around recently. Last season the Quakers posted the first winning season in their five-year history with an 8-6-2 record. But they can still use help in the Ivy League where they finished 1-5-1. Baker has said that he would like Penn to be the best in the Ivies after his third recruiting class. The Callaghans are key parts of the second. The coach expects the sisters to have an influence on the offense, a group that was inconsistent last year. Particularly important is finishing, the ability to take chances when they are presented.. "Both are blessed with quickness and speed," Baker said. "They receive the ball well, they score goals and they can blow by people on the dribble. They're the type of players that finish chances up front." The new Quakers are looking forward to joining the program in its ascent. "The team all felt they were getting better and better," Jill said after visiting campus. "I'm excited to go there and help change things." Playing together, as they have since age five, the Callaghan sisters are hoping to make their mark at Penn. "Since we were in kindergarten, we've played together," Andrea said. "We've learned to work really well together." In fact, all four Callaghan sisters played soccer. However, Jill and Andrea have emerged as the strongest players. Their older sister no longer plays and their fraternal triplet, Crissy will be playing at Trenton State next year. Although the sisters did not plan to go to college together, their interest in the school grew for much the same reasons. And as they got to know Baker and Penn, the choice became obvious for both of them. "I think it basically just happened that way," said the girls' mother Jacquelyn Callaghan. "It was not intended." And although the sisters will be on the same campus and on the same soccer team, they will not be rooming together. "That way, they can go their own ways and make their own friends," their mother said. "We don't get along at all," Andrea said. "We stay away from each other and we compete a lot. We're going to try to keep a distance off the field." "We both already know that off the field we're going to try to find our own friends and go our own ways," Jill agreed. On the field, the sisters play well together and provided their high school with an excellent offense. "They're very competitive, but they're also very close," Morrestown High School coach Glen Porter said. "Their passes were almost telepathic." The Quakers are getting two players who are coming off excellent high school careers. Jill scored 99 goals and Andrea scored 103 goals in high school playing left and right wing respectively. That put them twelfth and ninth in career goals scored on the all-time South Jersey list. The Callaghans were hoping to be the first sisters to both score 100 goals in their careers. Andrea's 100th goal came with a few games left in the season. "When I first scored it, I didn't even realize it was my 100th," Andrea said. "After the game is when it really hit. I was really happy, it was a big accomplishment." After that, Andrea and the rest of the team tried to get Jill to the century mark also. "It was a disappointment because I came so close," said Jill. "But, I'm more happy that we won States. I'd rather us both [had scored 100], but I'm glad she did." The Callaghan triplets led Morrestown High to two state championships in their junior and senior years in high school and the team was ranked No. 1 in the nation for about a month during their junior year. They were named co-players of the year in South Jersey this year and they each won a Most Valuable Player award in the past two years. "They've been an integral part of our team for four years," said Porter. "They'll be a big plus to the [Penn] program. I was very glad to see them go there. We're going to miss them an awful lot." As the Callaghan sisters join the Penn community in the fall, they hope to find their own niches off the field. But as they have for their whole lives, they will be working closely together, as teammates, on the field.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.