Metro League | Soccer family divided
They are cousins and daughters, uncles and brothers. But when the Shefts take the field today in a Class 3A girls soccer semifinal match, for 80 minutes they are simply competitors.
“I think the adrenaline flows more when we’re playing against each other,” said Seattle Prep assistant coach Misha Shefts.
The Seattle Prep-vs.-Holy Names match, at 4 p.m. at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood, Pierce County, features five relatives.
Misha’s brother is Holy Names coach Sasha. Sasha’s daughter, Tatiana, is a senior midfielder for the Cougars. Misha has two daughters on the Panthers team: Brittany, a senior defender, and Alexus, a freshman midfielder.
As league rivals, this isn’t the first time the families have met on the field, but in their high-school careers, the stakes have never been higher.
“I think it makes for a more competitive game,” said Tatiana, who leads the Cougars with 13 assists. “We’ve played each other four years, and this is what it comes down to.”
Four years in high school, sure, but the soccer history in this family goes back much further. Tatiana and Brittany have won state championships together in club soccer, coached by none other than their respective fathers.
Sasha won a national championship at Seattle Pacific University and played for the U.S. Olympic team in 1984. He and Misha continue to play regularly and their over-40 team has won three of the last five national championships.
Soccer is the only sport for this family, and years playing and coaching together make for a unique challenge as opponents.
“It’s funny, when I coach against my brother, it’s kind of a chess match,” said Misha Shefts. “He’ll pull something, like change to a 4-3-3 [formation], and I’ll have to adjust to it.”
This season is also the first season that the two Seattle Prep sisters have played together. Brittany and Alexus lead a Panthers defense that has allowed less than one goal per game.
“It’s fun playing with her and making plays together,” said Brittany Shefts.
Three of the four teams in the Class 3A semifinals are from the Sea-King District. The high level of competition between the Metro teams, including division champion Lakeside, has created quite a rivalry.
“I think the competition between the three [Metro] schools in girls soccer would rival any schools’ easily,” Sasha Shefts said. “I have not seen a more exclusive rivalry.”
Despite the familiarity with the opponent, Misha Shefts said he’d prefer to play an out-of-area team at this point in the season.
“It keeps you focused more, and gives you a little more butterflies in the stomach,” he said.
Last year, Seattle Prep was the Class 3A runner-up. The Panthers have made state the last eight years and the semifinals for three straight. This is Holy Names’ second state appearance. In 1999, the Cougars won it all.
Even though they boast a 6-0 record at state, Holy Names administrators are offering possible incentives for another championship. Tatiana said her school might get an “extra denim day” if the Cougars win.
“That’s pretty big when you only get it once a week,” said Tatiana, referring to the Catholic school’s dress code.
But in the end it won’t matter which uniform is representing the family in the championship game. Win or lose, the Shefts will have a shot at a championship.
“Afterward, we’ll be there to cheer on the other in the final,” Tatiana Shefts said.