Marissa McCandlish hopes to even the score when she meets her younger sister, Tanner, on the soccer field later this year. The sisters, former standout soccer players at Santa Ynez Union High School, are both central defenders on division II college teams, and are soon set to square off on each other’s home turfs.
In October, Marissa’s soccer team, the Vulcans of the University of Hawaii, Hilo, was trounced by Tanner’s team, the Urban Knights of the Academy of Art University, located in San Francisco.
The teams are slated to go head to head two more times next season, and Marissa, 22, is looking forward to the rematch. “Although I look at it like any other game, there is more of a competitive element there,” Marissa conceded. “I hope when we meet the next time, the tide will turn.”
Athena, mother of the girls, said Marissa had considered resting on her laurels and ending her collegiate soccer career, but changed her mind after last year’s loss. “After the game, Marissa said she didn’t want to go out like that,” Athena said, with a laugh.
The sisters admitted that though there is some rivalry, it remains friendly. They often poke fun at each other off the field. “I know she’s a good player and they’re a pretty good team,” 18-year-old Tanner said. “But I want to win.” The sisters found their calling for the sport early on – Marissa at 10 and Tanner at 8 – and eventually made names for themselves in high school.
Marissa helped her team win four consecutive league championships and was 2006 Central Coast Soccer Association Player of the Year. In 2004, her team won CIF Division IV championship.
As a member of the Pirates squad, Tanner won the Los Padres League Defensive MVP award in 2009, earned All-League Second Team honors from 2005-07 and was a key component of the team’s four Los Padres championships (2005-09).
In her junior year, Tanner overcame adversity after she tore an anterior cruciate ligament, which sidelined her for most of that season.
Tanner said that as the younger sister, she initially followed in the footsteps of her older sister, but blazed her own path along the way.
“I never wanted to live in her shadow,” said Tanner, who quickly carved out her own impressive record, making the varsity team as a freshman when her sister, then a senior, was captain, and eventually becoming captain in her last year of high school. “I guess Marissa left me with a lot to live up to,” she explained. “But I did my best to rise up to the challenge. “ Both say the year they played as teammates had its ups and downs.
“Having a sibling on the team made it a little harder to play because we don’t always get along,” Tanner admitted. “But with both of us there, the team did better. That was probably one of my best years.”
Marissa echoed her sister’s sentiment. “Out of the entire freshmen who joined our team in high school, I think she had the most experience and the best skills,” she says. “Having her on my team made for a good year.” For their parents, watching their daughters compete against each other was bittersweet.
“Russell always really gets into the games,” Athena noted. “For me, it was a little hard to just relax or cheer for either side when they first played against each other. I was actually hoping for a tie.”
“Before the game, I told them, ‘Don’t hurt each other,’ she continued. “But in their positions, there were no opportunities for a collision.” Russell said that when sibling competition surfaces, there isn’t a trace of tension.
“It’s no different than when the girls started playing as youngsters,” Russell said. “We all just learned to love the game.” The girls credit a lot of their success to their parents, who drove the athletes around Southern California for tournaments, keeping their schedules in order and teaching responsibility and hard work.
“My parents were taking us to different playing clubs and it was a family experience,” Tanner recalled. “I started playing after watching my sister play, and it turned out that I loved it, too.” Although the sisters – both of whom primarily play defense – have a sense of quiet solidarity on the field, they have measured each other up over the years, and neither feels outshone by the other.
“She’s faster than me, and more of a natural athlete,” said Tanner. “During high school practices, I was a freshman and she was senior and she didn’t go easy on me.” Marissa said her sister is more cerebral on the field.
“She’s a smarter player who distributes more,” said Marissa. “I’d say we’re even as far as soccer goes. Of course, when it comes to academics, she kind of has me beat there.” Marissa and Tanner both say they see soccer in their futures, but not as full-time professions.
Tanner recently became a freshman on a scholarship and plans to study film and television. At age 5, she wanted to be an actress. But these days she wants to be behind the scenes in the film industry, doing film editing. Throughout high school and into college, she has maintained a grade-point average of more than 4.0.
She likes about every genre of film except for horror. Her favorite movies include “Die Hard” and “Rocky.” If she finds the time to play soccer after college, it will most likely be for a local league. Marissa is finishing up her bachelor’s degree in communication and plans on obtaining her master’s in education at the University of Colorado, Denver. She wants to teach 3rd grade and coach soccer for kids.