THE SHUE SIBLINGS SHARE GREATEST SOCCER MOMENTS

Elisabeth and Andrew Shue share their defining soccer moments growing up in a soccer family.

Growing up in a soccer family had it’s plus and minuses for Elisabeth and Andrew Shue whose dad captained the Harvard College soccer team in 1958. All the kids wore the number seven on their jerseys that their father wore, and they were coached and drilled in the backyard of their New Jersey home and expected to perform.

Andrew and Elisabeth say they were most definitely measured by how they played.

“Well you see our dad was never kind of the coach of our teams but he was definitely somebody who was playing with us all the time and our competitive spirit definitely comes from him. He’s a little different than the dad in the film. He is not as overbearing where you would feel like you were playing for him. But he’s somebody when you’re out there in the yard, you were playing to win. Elisabeth: You’re playing to get his attention for sure, just because we looked up to him so much and wanted to be like him, me especially being the only girl in the family with three brothers. Sports was the way that you proved yourself in my family and getting his attention was what you wanted to do.”

Andrew went on to play at Dartmouth college and later for the Los Angeles Galaxy while Elisabeth played for her home town teams from ages nine to 13. They both have vivid memories of their most celebrated soccer moments.

“The one that was most meaningful to me was the game that was dedicated to my brother in my senior year in college where we all wore armbands and I scored two goals in the game. My whole family was there watching and it was just a month after he had died so it was incredibly meaningful and something that felt a little bit out of this world, to be honest. I would say the first day I showed up on the field and a little boy took my ball and said that girls can’t play soccer. And even though I walked off the field in tears I did walk back on the field and I did stay. I’m proud that I didn’t quit. I scored a few goals, definitely, took a few guys out!”

Andrew pays tribute to his soccer coach in Gracie who was known as Coach C by giving the film’s high school coach the same name.