Katie, Neila are double trouble for St. Vincent’s soccer rivals

Katie and Neila Gross began playing soccer when they were about 3 years old. Opponents have been seeing double ever since.

Katie and Neila are twins, identical enough to be indistinguishable by all but those who are either really close observers or those who really, really know them well. Not only do they look alike, but they share an enthusiasm for whatever they are doing that is contagious.

Actually, as of last week, there is a new way to identify the sisters. Neila is the one with the crutches. She injured her leg in a match against Sonoma Academy last week. “At least I got hurt after I scored my goals,” she says with the sunny outlook that marks the twins’ shared enthusiastic personality.

Their similarities extend to the soccer pitch where their mirror skills have St. Vincent High School’s Lady Mustangs expecting big things not only this season, but for the next three seasons. Not only are the sisters, now sophomores, talented, but they are also very determined.

“We’ve always been very competitive,” says Katie. “Even when we were little, when we would go for a ball it was always a battle to see who would get to the ball first.”

For the first time in their young lives, the twins will part sports company this winter. Both have been playing club soccer since they stepped up from toddling to running, but Neila will drop out of club play this winter to concentrate on playing for the St. Vincent High school basketball team.

That does not in any way signify a total separation. Right now both are focused on helping a talented St. Vincent soccer team win the North Central League II championship and move on to the North Coast Section playoffs. Katie plays center forward and Neila center back for the Mustangs, and both are among the team and the league’s best players.

“They are young, but they already share great leadership skills as well as their soccer skills,” says St. Vincent coach Kevin Richardson.

The girls’ soccer skills come with a little something extra. They can communicate without words. “A lot of times I know what she (Neila) is thinking before she does,” explains Katie.

Neila says that extra sense is not only mental, but also physical. “When Katie is sick, I don’t feel well,” she says.

The two share mostly the same interests, although there are some differences.

Both love horses. When they were younger, both competed in eventing - a three stage equestrian event. Both have played youth soccer, basketball and track.

Music serves to split the twins a bit. “Katie is more musical than I am,” Neila points out. Her sister has played the piano for six years, while Neila gave up on the guitar after about two weeks.

Both love water sports, but while Katie likes kite boarding, Neila is more into straight surfing.

The two are not above using the old twin-switch thing on unsuspecting friends and even teachers, a stunt they pulled for the first time in kindergarten.

In later years, they would wear different clothes and different hairstyles to school, but slip into a bathroom and switch both clothes and hairstyles, usually completely fooling teachers and classmates for the rest of the day.

But whether Katie is Neila or Neila is Katie, one of the things they completely agree on is their love for St. Vincent High School and the Lady Mustang soccer team.

Speaking for both of them, Katie says, “I love St. Vincent very much. It is very different from junior high school,” The twins attended Petaluma Junior High before beginning high school last year at St. Vincent.

The sisters are also excited about the potential of the St. Vincent soccer team.

“We’ve got a lot of freshmen, but we are expecting to do well,” Katie says.

“I think we can do real well, especially if we focus and work together,” agrees Neila.

Katie and Neila are the daughters of Remy and Susan Gross. They have “an amazing” brother, Michael, who is a freshman in college.

One other little detail ­- the twins have identical straight A GPAs in difficult college prep classes at St. Vincent.