Meet The Houser Sisters from Women's Soccer

By Bryan Dillon

The life of a freshman in her first month on campus is typically a time where one learns as you go while easing into life in college.

For Caroline and Emma Houser, freshmen on the UNC Asheville women's soccer team, that is far from the case. The identical twin sisters from Chapel Hill, N.C., have been thrust into the starting lineup, starting all eight games this season for the Bulldogs while accumulating four goals and three assists between them.

Growing up in the shadows of one of the premier women's soccer programs in the nation, the girls knew from an early age that they wanted to play soccer in college.

"I knew for a while that I wanted to be a college athlete” said Caroline. “We grew up going to [UNC Chapel Hill] games. Watching them play was so much fun.”

Emma and Caroline developed as players and went on to lead Carrboro High School near Chapel Hill to a state championship and multiple appearances in the championship match.

The identical twins share personality traits off the field, yet on the field they are certainly different. While both girls stand 5-foot-5, Caroline is a pacey forward who is a left-foot dominate and was selected as the conference's Offensive Player of the Year as a senior.

Emma, meanwhile, is a sturdy right-footed defender who was named the Defensive Player of the Year following her senior season.

Caroline likes to do most of her work with the ball at her feet, while Emma says, “I just think that it is fun to head the ball. I would definitely say that I am good in the air.” Sister Caroline agrees: “She loves headers, she can definitely jump.”

Deciding which college to attend boiled down to one factor for both Caroline and Emma: head coach Michelle Demko.

“I picked Asheville because Michelle seemed like the most interested,” said Emma. “She was relentless in recruiting us. I was, like, she obviously thinks that I am good, I'll go here.”

Coach Demko's professional pedigree was not lost upon Caroline in the decision-making process.

“I definitely knew about her professional background, so that was a boost to why I wanted to go here. I knew that she played professionally and was capped by the national team, so I knew she was a really good player, and I figured she would be a really good coach.”

While Caroline gives coach Demko a lot of credit, she also cites an existing relationship with upperclassmen like Kaitlyn Eckert as helping her in the decision-making process.

As emerging leaders of the freshman class, Emma and Caroline have recognized the strong group that has joined them in Asheville this season. Through eight matches, seven of the eight freshmen have already earned starting roles in at least one game this season.

“It shows a lot of promise for future generations of this team,” said Emma. “Obviously you want to get good players on the field and it is really fun to be around good players because of the competitive edge. Having other people that are really good helps you improve your own skills.”

While adjusting to the college game, both Houser sisters have identified upperclassmen who have mentored them in the early stages of their careers. Caroline points to Eckert, who has helped her and is someone who she looks to for advice, while Emma has looked to the central defensive pairing of Megan Foster and Rachel Kish as two players who have helped her adapt to a new position as an outside back. Emma's switch to the outside back position has allowed her and Caroline to link up down the left side of the field at times this season.

“It is fun because we get to do one-twos and people are really confused” said Caroline. The twins can certainly see the benefit of playing on the same side of the field: “I feel like I know exactly where [Caroline] wants to go and exactly how she wants it played.”

The transition for both players has seemed to come along nicely, as both have already scored during the non-conference portion of the schedule, and both recall what scoring that first collegiate goal felt like.

Caroline said it was “really nice to finally get a goal” after having a number of chances before netting her first against Mars Hill. Emma showed a little more enthusiasm and excitement about her goal against Alabama A&M, recalling that “it was really exciting because the other team had just scored and we were trailing, 2-1. It was super exciting to score with the tying goal with only 26 seconds left.”

Off the field is where they share in personality traits, as both would prefer to sit back and get to know people before interjecting themselves into the conversation. They have enjoyed the social life and the city of Asheville: “It is fun to get away from campus and see what else there is to offer, like downtown, because it is a really cool area,” said Emma. Caroline likes to also hang around campus and watch sports from a different perspective: “I like going to watch the intramural sports, it is fun to watch them play because they get so into it.”

As conference play looms, Carolina and Emma know they need to be ready for level of competition to take a step up. Emma feels that, “during conference, you really get to it, your season has really started.” Caroline agrees: “Every conference game matters because if you do not win enough, you do not get into the conference tournament.” They agree that they want to help lead the Bulldogs back to the Big South Conference tournament and would relish the opportunity to play at a familiar site, Bryan Park in Greensboro, which will host the conference semifinals and final.

The Bulldogs begin league play on Wednesday evening at 5 p.m. when they host Campbell University at Greenwood Field.