For years 16-year-old Ben Fetsch stood on the sidelines watching his younger brother Nick do his thing on the pitch, cutting through opposing defenders like a hot knife through butter before unleashing a highlight reel strike that left the opposing keeper rooted to the spot in awestruck bewilderment.
Likewise Nick, 14, did the same, watching in admiration as his older brother made short work of his competition before either sending the ball forward for a wonderful assist or taking a precision shot from distance that ultimately resulted in a goal.
Now, however, the two don鈥檛 have to watch one another from the sidelines.
Instead, for the first time ever, the brothers share the same pitch; something they鈥檝e both been waiting for, for a long, long while. 鈥淚鈥檝e been playing soccer for 12 years, and this is the first time we鈥檝e actually been on the same team together,鈥� offered the elder Fetsch brother, Ben. 鈥淲e鈥檝e practiced together and even played at home and stuff with our other siblings, but never on a team. It鈥檚 pretty sweet.鈥�
Nick, too, is enjoying the time he is spending on the field with his older brother, especially because he is now the recipient of those slick, perfectly timed passes that he once enjoyed watching from the sidelines. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to play with him. He鈥檚 such a good player,鈥� said Nick. 鈥淗e always finds a way to get the ball to me. It鈥檚 easy for him because we have a lot of chemistry.
鈥淗e knows where I am most of the time because of our chemistry so he finds me and I take the shots.鈥�
The two also have an added advantage in that they have an ample amount of time to prepare their own, secret game plans. 鈥淎 lot of the time we talk about what we鈥檙e going to do before the game,鈥� mentioned Ben. 鈥淔or example I鈥檒l get the ball to him and he鈥檒l make a nice run and then send the ball back to me for a nice shot and we鈥檒l have planned that before the game.鈥�
However that ample amount of time to prepare can also be a disadvantage. With both Ben and Nick being so competitive and so close in age, the two brothers admittedly have developed a sometimes not-so-friendly rivalry. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really competitive and we fight a lot when we鈥檙e playing soccer at home,鈥� admitted Ben, continuing, 鈥渨e get over it of course, but we do have a rivalry.鈥�
Ben鈥檚 brother Nick also admitted that the two sometimes don鈥檛 see eye-to-eye. 鈥淵eah we have a rivalry. Sometimes it gets pretty out of hand, but usually it鈥檚 okay,鈥� laughed Nick, adding that the rivalry is just one of the things that makes the two so good at their chosen sport. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 good to have a rivalry with him. It makes us both better. We get angry and we try even harder to beat each other and that actually makes us better.鈥�
That competitiveness and drive to beat one another is sometimes evident on the field as well, where the brothers are first and second on the Saints in goals scored this season, with the younger Nick slightly ahead of his older brother Ben.
However Ben says that he doesn鈥檛 mind that Nick has more goals than him. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a striker, that鈥檚 what he鈥檚 supposed to do,鈥� said Ben. 鈥淚 score, but I also get the ball to him to score, so when he scores I usually get the assist.鈥�
Nick echoed his older brother, saying: 鈥淗e鈥檚 usually the one setting me up for the goals, so I don鈥檛 think he has a problem with me scoring more, although I know he likes to score as well.鈥�
Unfortunately for the brothers however, this wonderful season where they both play for the same team is the only time they鈥檒l actually find themselves on the same pitch.
After this year, Ben will graduate and move on to university, where he hopes to play soccer for the Huskies, or anyone else interested in his services.
Meanwhile Nick will still have three more years of Saint soccer to play.
But although the moment is only fleeting, rest assured neither brother will forget the moments they spent on the same field, against the same opposition, playing for the same team.
