SHREWSBURY – Hailey Snyder and Avery Collins have each match’s celebration well-planned.
“We talk about before the game what celly [celebration] we’re going to hit,” said Collins.
But their pre-planned celebrations rarely actually happen. It’s not because they don’t score goals – they do, at a rate that’s scarily efficient. It’s because once they put the ball in the back of the net, they are so overcome with happiness that they forget the plans altogether.
“We’re so happy – we just want to hug each other,” said Snyder.
The Snyder-Collins duo has been a force for the Shrewsbury girls’ soccer team this fall, and the Colonials have ascended to becoming a top-15 team in the state. Snyder, a junior, and Collins, a sophomore, have impressive chemistry.
“I think they’re very similar players, but I think Avery highlights some of Hailey’s talents as a player, and vice versa. They understand what each player needs. They seem to be very intertwined with their decision-making,” said head coach Kristina Kern.
Snyder and Collins played with one another for one year at Oak Middle School, but they weren’t exactly fast friends. Snyder made the varsity team as a freshman, then Collins did as a freshman the year after, and a close relationship started to form between the teammates.
“Avery was the only freshman that made the team, and obviously that’s a lot of pressure on one person,” said Snyder. “She handled that pressure well. She sees a lot of passes that others don’t see, and she takes chances that others aren’t willing to take.”
Added Collins: “Hailey is really, really, really strong. She wants to play super quick, communicate, and have everyone be a unit. It was easy to get with the team. They’re super welcoming. The camaraderie is crazy.”
How do the two know where their teammate is on the field? It comes down to hanging out around each other, understanding how they want to play, and communicating when things aren’t working. That’s how magic happens on the pitch.
“A lot of it is off-the-field. Avery and I got extremely close near the end of last year coming into this year, and when you’re close with someone, it’s like you share the same mind. The closer we’ve gotten, the more we’ve been able to practice with each other,” said Snyder.
And that’s how the celebrations happen – or don’t happen, depending on the level of excitement.
“This whole team is super close. Culture is huge for me – everyone has an important role here and nobody is better than anybody else. I think they embody that. They play relaxed, but they’re very serious when they need to be,” Kern said of Snyder and Collins.”They play for everybody else, and the girls play for them as well.”
Added Collins: “We’re all basically like sisters.”