Neighbors

Sister act on the Hofstra soccer field

Wantagh twins join nationally ranked Pride squad

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Katie and Kelly Gerdes share a last name, a Sept. 12, 1996 birthday, a suite at Hofstra University with two other girls and a passion for “the beautiful game,” which they play together as members of the Hofstra women’s soccer team. No doubt, they have a tight bond, and they know a thing or two about overcoming adversity after being injured on the field.

The Gerdeses are 5-foot-3 twins from Wantagh who are now in their freshman season at Hofstra. They have played soccer almost as long as they have been alive.

Part of the success of any sports team can be attributed to the chemistry among its players, and that is exactly what Katie and Kelly bring to Hofstra, their coach, Simon Riddiough, said.

They started playing soccer at age 3 in the Wantagh-Seaford area. Kelly and Katie then transferred to the Farmingdale United club team after fifth grade and fell in love with the squad’s atmosphere and morale.

“Most of what I liked about the club team was the bond of the team and the coaches,” Katie said. “We were like a family, and we traveled everywhere together as a team.” The squad played games as far away as Las Vegas, Florida and Georgia, and in states closer to home like New Jersey and Connecticut.

Riddiough, who is in his ninth year as Hofstra’s head coach, recruited the twins out of the competitive Farmingdale United team. This is his second time coaching twins, as he coached current assistant coach Courtney Breen and her sister Erin, who are from Hicksville, from 2008-12.

“It is good to know that they have each other’s back, but we treat them as individuals,” Riddiough said of the Gerdes twins. Kelly tore her anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, in the spring, and Katie tore hers just recently. Despite the Gerdes’ injuries, Riddiough said, “They are great kids, have done everything I’ve asked them to do, and they both have a very good future.”

According to Riddiough, they are physical, aggressive, fast and relentless, and Katie gave the team a spark off the bench before her injury. Kelly brings speed and defensive skills, and Katie is energetic and fearless.

As they did on their Farmingdale squad, the twins say they feel at home at Hofstra. “The bond of the team is the most special part of being on Hofstra,” Katie said. “As well as the coaches, they taught us to be better players and individuals.”

“Anything that bothered us, they were there, basically like older sisters,” Kelly said of her Pride teammates.

According to Katie, Hofstra was always her first choice, and once Simon started recruiting her, she knew that Hofstra was for her because she felt comfortable immediately. Kelly pointed out that they had not always planned to attend the same college, but she is happy it ended up that way.

Besides being close to family and friends, the words of current redshirt sophomore Jill Mulholland, who attended their alma mater, MacArthur High School, influenced them. “She said that she liked it here and loved the coaches and the team, so we knew that we were coming into a good environment,” Kelly said.

At Hofstra, the twins are both exercise science majors, but for slightly different reasons. Katie, who tore her ACL for the second time by planting and stepping the wrong way, chose her major based on her many injuries that required extensive rehabilitation. “It inspired me to want to help athletes get back on the field,” she said, “just like my physical therapist got me back on the field.”

Unlike Katie, Kelly wants to do physical therapy in a hospital. They both have a solid work ethic based on their achievements in soccer and ability to come back after serious injuries and realize that there is always room for improvement.

When they are both healthy, the twins strive to be assets on the field, because they always seem to know where the other one is.

Since they are attending college close to Wantagh, the twins added, they get an extra boost from being able go home easily and from being close to their family and friends, who are their biggest supporters.