GREAT FALLS — There's a unique feature to this year's Great Falls High girls soccer team, and at the team's Aug. 23 practice they discussed why this feature means so much to them.
"We got three sets of siblings in the program," said head coach Eric Fowell. "It's super exciting to see them come here every day and the oldest sibling push the youngest sibling to work hard and improve."
Two of the siblings are Fowell's daughters Ava and Mady, a senior and freshman respectively.
"It's actually really exciting because we've always played soccer but we've never been able to play together," Ava Fowell said. "This year will be the first year, and last, that we get to play together. So that'll be fun."
"I'm so excited you know she's a good leader," Mady Fowell said. "It's kind of nice just to be able to look up to someone and know that I can always ask her questions if I have any."
There's also junior Addison Kirkhart and freshman Grace Kirkhart.
"I played my first two years with my older sisters so now I get to help (Grace]) out and make her feel more comfortable in the team setting," Addison Kirkhart said.
"(Addison) gives me like a good example on the team," Grace Kirkhart said. "She teaches me a lot of things that I can work on and she's just like there for me whenever I need help."
And then there are senior Claire Woods and sophomore Emily Woods.
"It really shows how we're able to bring people in to the program just through family and how family is a big part of our program," Claire Woods said.
"It's built our bond closer," Emily Woods said. "We understand each other more both on the field and then off the field."
Eric Fowell said seeing the bond between sisters is something "we look for as a program."
"A couple of the older sisters, they put together a drill right, and to see them coaching their younger sister in that and trying to push them and get them to be better with everything they do is one of the things that we look for as a program," Fowell said.
The Bison start their season this Friday, Aug. 30, at home against Billings West.
