Injured Sherwood Soccer stand out Aubri Hughes draws encouragement from her teammate and twin sister

ALBANY – Twin sisters Aubri and Ashley Hughes have made significant contributions to Sherwood Christian Academy’s soccer program since they transferred from Lee County to the school three years ago, says Coach Jeremy Davidson.

“They’ve been huge additions at Sherwood to our program,” Davidson said. “They are two of the most humble, coachable kids I’ve ever worked with. They set such a great example of hard work day in and day out. They always have a positive attitude.”

Unfortunately, only one of the sisters is able to make on-field contributions to the team this season.

Last season while playing in the Eagle Invitational soccer Tournament, Aubri Hughes suffered a concussion which sidelined her for the rest of the 2014 season and all of this season.

“I was going up the field and I was sending a cross for Kaitlyn Cuff, ” Aubri Hughes said. “When I sent the cross, the girl came in. She just, like, wiped me out and I remember laying on the field, looking up at the sky thinking ‘I can lay here all night’ because it was so pretty out, and I was like ‘I could sit here and look at the moon all night’. That’s when Hannah King came over and she picked me up and we kept playing.”

The impact from that play was serious enough that doctors advised Aubri and her parents that she should not play this year, her junior year, and recover in time for her senior season.

In spite of the setback, Aubri realized there was a reason for it.

“I always try and remember that God has a plan and there is a purpose behind this,” she said. “I just may not see it yet, but there is. Ashley is always there to encourage me.”

Both the Hughes twins are center backs on the SCA girls soccer team. The loss of Aubri for this season is significant. A year ago, she tallied 13 goals and 7 assists for the Lady Eagles, while Ashley scored three goals and had 3 assists.

This year, Ashley Hughes has scored two goals and tallied one assist so far. She’s missed her sister on the field but teammate Molly Kate McClearn has stepped up to fill part of that void. McClearn, has not only been an encouragement to Aubri, but has had to embrace a unique roll on the team.

“At the beginning of the season, I told Ashley and Molly Kate that they were going to have to learn to play like sisters,” Davidson said. “They have built a real bond on the field that has proven to be very dominate. Ashley gives us tremendous speed and experience, and Molly Kate gives us great physicality and aerial dominance. Their bond is not quite like Ashley’s bond with Aubri, but it keeps Ashley focused on the field. It’s given Ashley another sister to play with on the field.”

That combination is just one of the reasons the Lady Eagles have raced to a 13-0 mark this season.

Being that the Hughes twins look so much alike, it can be hard to tell which one is which. According to Ashley Hughes, Coach Davidson has figured out a way to decipher. “Most of the time, people ask us if we are twins and they, like, try to pick out little things to tell you apart.” Ashley Hughes said. “Coach Davidson always says that my hair parts on the left and Aubri’s on the right. Ashley with an L, left, and Aubri with an R, right.”

Even with the slightly different hair styles, it is still sometimes hard to tell them apart. It’s worked to their advantage on more than one occasion.

“When we played soccer in middle school, I played softball and I had a softball game on the first day of the soccer tournament,” Ashley Hughes said. “They said I couldn’t play in the soccer tournament because I was not there on the first day of the tournament. So what we did was Aubri played in the first game, and we would switch out for the second game and I would play in the second game. The other teams didn’t know. Our coach and our teammates knew, but the other teams never knew so we just kept switching out during the tournament. I would just take Aubri’s jersey and wear it the next game, and then after my game, I would give Aubri her jersey back and she would play.”

That tactic wouldn’t work on their parents, Ashley says. “We can never trick our parents. Like, it doesn’t work,” Ashley Hughes said.

Despite the physical likeness, the twin sisters are different in many ways.

“Even though we’re twins, we have different personalities,” Aubri Hughes said. “Sometimes we have conflicts, but no matter what, she always forgives me and we always tell each other about everything.”

Aubri says Ashley, who was born 15 minutes before her, is more outgoing and outspoken.

Aubri, who plans to play soccer her senior year next year, is in the process of going to Macon to see a neurologist.

“Our focus is to get her healthy,” Davidson said. “Both these girls have very bright college careers ahead of them.”

Davidson says colleges such as Treutt McConnell, Point University and Clearwater Christian College have all contacted him, showing interest. “I’ve already been contacted by numerous coaches,” he said. “Our biggest concern is to get Aubri back fully healthy, let her brain heal completely, and then get her back out there playing. It’s tough as a coach to watch because I see it every single game — Aubri’s desire and passion. She wants to be on the field. I see at times too that it’s sometimes probably tougher for Ashley not to have Aubri on the field than it is for Aubri to deal with the injury. As good as they are individually, they’re even better collectively on the field.”