The changing of the guard in London, England,
happens three times a day in three different venues. Case Western
Reserve University has a version of the famous European pastime.
Its venue is a soccer field, and its guards are student-athlete
siblings. But it doesn't happen that often. In fact, this one
is a first.
Senior forward Sarah Rogers from Beavercreek,
Ohio, will, at the end of this season, turn over the family
watch of the University Circle campus to her brother, sophomore
midfielder Adam Rogers.
"We have had a couple of brother and sister acts
on the same team over the years but never on different teams,"
said Head Coach Jerry Harbak, who began the men's soccer program
at CWRU 32 years ago. "Either way, these two are without a doubt
the best statistically. Sarah has racked up a lot of points
and so will Adam over time."
In the Dayton area where the Rogers grew up, soccer
was the main event. "Super Soccer Saturday" at Carroll High
School, where the Rogers attended, was just as popular as "Friday
Night Football". Even still, the siblings' father and older
brother played football, and their mother was a volleyball player.
So why did they choose soccer?
"They actually didn't like it when we started
playing soccer," Sarah said of her family. "But it was the thing
to do in Dayton when we were kids, and we winded up sticking
with it."
Boy did she. Sarah is third on the University's
all-time list for assists with 18, fifth in scoring with 58
points and eighth in goals with 15. The two-time All-UAA selection
could easily break into the top three in scoring and goals and
will move into second for assists by the end of the season.
Not bad, considering offense was new to her.
"Originally, I thought I was going to play defense
because that's what I played in high school," Sarah said, "but
I think I found my niche."
A year ago Adam started every match as a CWRU
freshman, knocking in two goals. He is a skilled player who
has a good imagination for the game. Harbak said if the forwards
do their jobs, Adam could easily get even more credit for his
hard work in the form of more assists and goals in the near
future.
"They are looking at me to start scoring more,"
Adam said. "With the loss of some scoring from the other top
players, plus injuries, they are looking for me to take a lot
more shots. We'll see what happens. I don't really like shooting,
I am more of a passer."
Both Adam and Sarah score and even dress alike.
Besides the obvious CWRU uniform, they have personalized shoes
this year, white with a Spartan blue Nike swoosh. Sarah's has
"CWRU 3," her team and uniform number, stitched in her shoes,
while Adam's read "Butta 12," his nickname and uniform number.
Since high school Sarah, has tied a little orange
shoestring around the top of her shin guard, a superstitious
gesture that has stuck. That's one trait the two siblings don't
share; younger brother is not superstitious. Adam did try to
get the number three his freshman year so he could be like Sarah,
but it was already taken. He had a solution, though: Go with
12 and just put a plus sign in-between the numbers.
"I actually did write it on my jersey," Adam laughed.
"I did it with a pen and kept it small. That way the coach wouldn't
get made when I turned it in at the end of the year, but I would
know."
Sarah returns the favor of supporting her sibling
by wearing a shirt underneath her game jersey that says, "Call
Adam Rogers butter 'cause he is on a roll."
The Spartan men and women's soccer teams travel
during University Athletic Association play to matches Friday
and Sunday. That puts the siblings in cities such as New York,
Boston and Chicago for an extended time. So, do they find family
time?
"We did a lot together last year and plan to this
season," Sarah said. "We usually go out and grab some dinner,
then call the family back home."
The distance from Dayton to Cleveland is reasonable,
allowing the siblings' parents, Steve and Deborah, to make the
trip quite often on weekends and even on weekdays to watch them
play. Depending on the schedule, mom and dad some days will
get two for one.
"My dad is really the ultimate soccer fan," Adam
said. "Before the season started, he sat down with us and looked
at our schedule, working out what games he could make and if
my mom could come along with him."
When he does come to a game, dad doesn't just
sit on the sidelines and cheer. Besides bringing his chair,
he also brings Gatorade and snacks for the whole team.
"It really just means the world to both of us
to always see him yelling on the sidelines, especially when
he drives seen plus hours in one day to do it," Adam said.
With the sun beginning to set on Sarah's CWRU
career, she will pass on the guardianship to Adam, whose duty
next season will be to carry on the Rogers' legacy. That shouldn't
be too hard since talent runs in the family.
"It will be hard to leave him," said Sarah, who
graduates this spring. "I missed his last two years of high
school being up here. Hopefully, I will be around for his final
two in college."
