Canham sisters provide instant impact on the field

Harper Stull | The Chronicle

From the backyard to the soccer pitch, twins Allyson and Allyvia Canham’s unique connection is propelling a strong start to their Mason Comet careers.

Fraternal twin sisters, Allyson and Allyvia Canham entered the high school sports scene with a built in support system. The sisters grew up playing on the same club team, and are now continuing their careers together as varsity starters.

The Mason girls soccer team, off to a 5-1-3 start (as of September 14), is led by a talented young core. Six freshmen, the Canham’s, Bella Anderson, Parker Evans, Peyton Scherz, and Paityn Smith, are on the varsity roster and have each played in at least eight of the team’s nine games so far.

The Canham sisters were excited to be playing together and share the accomplishment of being varsity starters as freshmen. Allyson Canham said that she feels their close relationship off the field gives them an advantage on the field.

“We’re basically together all day,” Allyson Canham said. “I feel like being together so much helps but then it’s also like playing with each other beforehand you already know the person.”

Head Coach Sami Rutowski is in her first year coaching the Comets. She was a four-year varsity player during her Comet playing career, as a 2013 Mason High School graduate. Rutowski knows the pressures of playing at a high level as a freshman, and said that she has been impressed by Allyson and Allyvia’s maturity.

“[Allyson and Allyvia] are both really different and each provides something different for our team and our older girls have really taken them under their wing,” Rutowski said. “They are able to fit in and are working really hard, it’s awesome to be around them.”

Although the Canham sisters have played soccer together their whole lives, they each have their own separate role and style of play on the team. Allyson is a starting midfielder for the Comets, and thrives on offense. She already has one goal this season. Allyvia is a starting defender and key component in a Comet defense that has allowed just four games through nine games, the fewest in the Greater Miami Conference

Rutowski said that she appreciates the sisters’ different playstyles, and has high hopes for their futures with the program.

“Allyvia is more of a defender so she doesn’t let anything get by her, she’s stubborn,” Rutowski said. “Allyson is more of an offensive player, she sees the game really well from an attacking point. She slices and dices and she’s very shifty. They see the game better than most people do.”

The Canham sisters have been using their relationship to their advantage on and off the field. Allyson Canham said that their communication skills have really helped them hone in on their skills. Being able to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and predicting the other person’s next move has helped them be better teammates.

“Sometimes she plays wing so and I play outside back so sometimes we are on the same side,” Allyvia Canham said. “It is helpful because I can tell her what I want and I can scream at her. I feel like we already know what the other person wants.”