'Virtual triplets' Sassower and Koleno sisters portend great future for Young
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The moment was long ago, an instant, a blink of the eye, and Alexis Sassower has a vivid and sharp memory of her introduction to twin sisters Ella and Sydney Koleno.
In one of those serendipitous actions that suggests a shared fate, the three were born weeks apart. Sydney came into the world an hour and half before her sister.
Alexis beat the twins by two weeks. Growing up in Lincoln Park, the three found themselves bound, at the age of three, on the first day of preschool at Oscar Meyer Magnet School.
“One of the first things I remember was holding onto the teacher’s leg,” Sassower said
“I met them, and it was completely natural.”
Ella Koleno also has a privileged memory.
“My first memory is the second day of preschool, and I just went up to her and asked her if she wanted to be my best friend,” Ella said.
“We just started playing a million games together—anything you could think of.”
The twins brought their new friend into their own ritualized and private world, and the three have been virtual triplets ever since.
“We have been on so many different teams together,” Sydney Koleno said. “We are really close off the field. I have three classes with Alexis. We do our homework together.
“We hang out.”
The three sophomores are a principal reason Young has broken through and emerged as a destination girls soccer program.
The three made a spectacular debut last year in helping the Dolphins reach the city championship game and qualify for its first sectional final since 2000.
All three made the Chicagoland Soccer All-State Watch List for the class of 2022.
It’s always a risk to play freshmen immediately at the varsity level. If the players get rocked at the start, their confidence might get obliterated.
The upside is younger players can show more rapid improvement once they learn to assimilate the speed and rhythm of play.
What began as a somewhat tentative exercise in adjustment and activity became a platform for their special abilities?
Ella Koleno demonstrated breakthrough athleticism and a kinetic ability in space with her prolific goal scoring. The forward led the Dolphins with 21 goals, one better than two-time Chicagoland Soccer All-State forward Mia Lisanti.
Ella Koleno and Lisanti formed a devastating pincer attack at the top of the Dolphins’ formation.
Cool and precise, Alexis Sassower was equally impressive in her first year. She is wiry and smooth and able to create her own separation.
She showed tremendous on the ball skills, an intuitive awareness of the ball and how to optimize her talent.
“I am a technical player, and I distribute the ball,” Sassower said. “I really enjoy playing off of my teammates. The other strength is my versatility.
“I have played everywhere from left, right and center midfielder.”
She was the Dolphins’ third leading scorer last year with 12 goals and 10 assists.
Sydney Koleno is the third dynamic part of the equation. She is a skilled and versatile defensive midfielder who shuttles between the middle of the attack and the backline.
“We all work really together,” Sassower said. “Syd is more defensive, with me in the middle and Ella up-top. The three of us know where we are going to be at the same time.”
Twins naturally stake out their own personality to separate themselves. Consciously or not, Sydney sought out her own path separate from her sister and Sassower.
“I feel like a defensive midfielder is where I feel most comfortable,” Sydney said. “They both play in front of me. Since we have all played together for so long, we know how to communicate without even talking.”
As freshmen, their entry into the program overlapped with new coach Ross LaBauex. After the players worked out their early kinks, Young was formidable.
Young (18-7-1 last year) went 14-3-0 over the last two months of the year. They avenged a Chicago Public League Premier Division loss against Jones by surviving a shootout victory in the city semifinals to qualify for the city title game.
They beat host Glenbard East in its Class 3A regional title game.
The play of the trio proved a natural springboard. The special bond of the three not only fomented a natural competitiveness -- their individual success catapulted each to mirror the other.
“We all motivate each other and help one another out,” Sassower said. “We have a very healthy competition where we want to do as well as everybody else.
“Coming into a well-known, top program like Young, it was really great to make that much of an impact. I really challenged myself.”
The best teams create their own seamless and fluid connections between players.
The twins and Sassower have a natural rapport.
“Alexis is a fantastic player, and she sees the field really well,” Ella said. “Until last year, we played on different club teams.
“Now we all play for Eclipse. Having such a strong connection off the field helps us so much. I always know where Sydney and Alexis are going to be and where they will play the ball.”
Kids have a natural ability to connect on their own wavelengths. The twins eagerly welcomed their new friend into their orbit.
After meeting in preschool, they matriculated through Oscar Meyer. The three got involved with organized soccer a couple of years later, each participating in AYSO. Their respective parents were their first coaches.
Everything melded together.
As a select school enrollment, Young requires its students qualify based on specialized grades and test scores administered as seventh graders.
The fact all three ended up at Young was not necessarily planned. It proved another fortuitous connection.
“They are both fabulous players, and I love being with both of them,” Sassower said. “I am just as close with one as I am with the other. I have a different relationship with each, but we all bond together.”
The inseparable emotional connection has at least mitigated the profound sadness and heartbreaking reality of a lost sophomore season due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The IHSA announcement to formally cancel the spring season state tournament series means the Dolphins are not going to have a chance to repeat last year’s great run.
“It is really hard,” Sassower said. “We really thought we’d go much further in the state tournament. We feel so badly for the seniors.
“We thought we could do a lot. Now it is not possible.”
The bright side is their youth and the fact they have two more seasons.
“Even though we are going to be missing a lot of great seniors, we have so many good freshmen, sophomore and juniors coming back,” Ella Koleno said.
Her sister echoed those thoughts.
“Our Eclipse team attended many college showcases,” Sydney Koleno said. “Those were always so fun, and they provided all the players an opportunity to spend so much time together.
“We feel like this has made our chemistry even better. We can’t wait to get back on the field together with our Whitney Young team.
“We know great things are going to happen.”
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The moment was long ago, an instant, a blink of the eye, and Alexis Sassower has a vivid and sharp memory of her introduction to twin sisters Ella and Sydney Koleno.
In one of those serendipitous actions that suggests a shared fate, the three were born weeks apart. Sydney came into the world an hour and half before her sister.
Alexis beat the twins by two weeks. Growing up in Lincoln Park, the three found themselves bound, at the age of three, on the first day of preschool at Oscar Meyer Magnet School.
“One of the first things I remember was holding onto the teacher’s leg,” Sassower said
“I met them, and it was completely natural.”
Ella Koleno also has a privileged memory.
“My first memory is the second day of preschool, and I just went up to her and asked her if she wanted to be my best friend,” Ella said.
“We just started playing a million games together—anything you could think of.”
The twins brought their new friend into their own ritualized and private world, and the three have been virtual triplets ever since.
“We have been on so many different teams together,” Sydney Koleno said. “We are really close off the field. I have three classes with Alexis. We do our homework together.
“We hang out.”
The three sophomores are a principal reason Young has broken through and emerged as a destination girls soccer program.
The three made a spectacular debut last year in helping the Dolphins reach the city championship game and qualify for its first sectional final since 2000.
All three made the Chicagoland Soccer All-State Watch List for the class of 2022.
It’s always a risk to play freshmen immediately at the varsity level. If the players get rocked at the start, their confidence might get obliterated.
The upside is younger players can show more rapid improvement once they learn to assimilate the speed and rhythm of play.
What began as a somewhat tentative exercise in adjustment and activity became a platform for their special abilities?
Ella Koleno demonstrated breakthrough athleticism and a kinetic ability in space with her prolific goal scoring. The forward led the Dolphins with 21 goals, one better than two-time Chicagoland Soccer All-State forward Mia Lisanti.
Ella Koleno and Lisanti formed a devastating pincer attack at the top of the Dolphins’ formation.
Cool and precise, Alexis Sassower was equally impressive in her first year. She is wiry and smooth and able to create her own separation.
She showed tremendous on the ball skills, an intuitive awareness of the ball and how to optimize her talent.
“I am a technical player, and I distribute the ball,” Sassower said. “I really enjoy playing off of my teammates. The other strength is my versatility.
“I have played everywhere from left, right and center midfielder.”
She was the Dolphins’ third leading scorer last year with 12 goals and 10 assists.
Sydney Koleno is the third dynamic part of the equation. She is a skilled and versatile defensive midfielder who shuttles between the middle of the attack and the backline.
“We all work really together,” Sassower said. “Syd is more defensive, with me in the middle and Ella up-top. The three of us know where we are going to be at the same time.”
Twins naturally stake out their own personality to separate themselves. Consciously or not, Sydney sought out her own path separate from her sister and Sassower.
“I feel like a defensive midfielder is where I feel most comfortable,” Sydney said. “They both play in front of me. Since we have all played together for so long, we know how to communicate without even talking.”
As freshmen, their entry into the program overlapped with new coach Ross LaBauex. After the players worked out their early kinks, Young was formidable.
Young (18-7-1 last year) went 14-3-0 over the last two months of the year. They avenged a Chicago Public League Premier Division loss against Jones by surviving a shootout victory in the city semifinals to qualify for the city title game.
They beat host Glenbard East in its Class 3A regional title game.
The play of the trio proved a natural springboard. The special bond of the three not only fomented a natural competitiveness -- their individual success catapulted each to mirror the other.
“We all motivate each other and help one another out,” Sassower said. “We have a very healthy competition where we want to do as well as everybody else.
“Coming into a well-known, top program like Young, it was really great to make that much of an impact. I really challenged myself.”
The best teams create their own seamless and fluid connections between players.
The twins and Sassower have a natural rapport.
“Alexis is a fantastic player, and she sees the field really well,” Ella said. “Until last year, we played on different club teams.
“Now we all play for Eclipse. Having such a strong connection off the field helps us so much. I always know where Sydney and Alexis are going to be and where they will play the ball.”
Kids have a natural ability to connect on their own wavelengths. The twins eagerly welcomed their new friend into their orbit.
After meeting in preschool, they matriculated through Oscar Meyer. The three got involved with organized soccer a couple of years later, each participating in AYSO. Their respective parents were their first coaches.
Everything melded together.
As a select school enrollment, Young requires its students qualify based on specialized grades and test scores administered as seventh graders.
The fact all three ended up at Young was not necessarily planned. It proved another fortuitous connection.
“They are both fabulous players, and I love being with both of them,” Sassower said. “I am just as close with one as I am with the other. I have a different relationship with each, but we all bond together.”
The inseparable emotional connection has at least mitigated the profound sadness and heartbreaking reality of a lost sophomore season due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The IHSA announcement to formally cancel the spring season state tournament series means the Dolphins are not going to have a chance to repeat last year’s great run.
“It is really hard,” Sassower said. “We really thought we’d go much further in the state tournament. We feel so badly for the seniors.
“We thought we could do a lot. Now it is not possible.”
The bright side is their youth and the fact they have two more seasons.
“Even though we are going to be missing a lot of great seniors, we have so many good freshmen, sophomore and juniors coming back,” Ella Koleno said.
Her sister echoed those thoughts.
“Our Eclipse team attended many college showcases,” Sydney Koleno said. “Those were always so fun, and they provided all the players an opportunity to spend so much time together.
“We feel like this has made our chemistry even better. We can’t wait to get back on the field together with our Whitney Young team.
“We know great things are going to happen.”