The Deckers’ Sister Act Reaches Final Curtain

After dinner each night, Sara and Kristin Deckers wash dishes, do laundry and trade secrets.

But for 90 minutes today, the sisters who do just about every thing together will be adversaries when Hart hosts Harvard-Westlake in a nonleague game matching two of the region’s top teams.

For Kristin, a sophomore defender for Hart, and Sara, a Harvard-Westlake senior who is the region’s top goalkeeper, the game represents the last time they will face each other in high school.

The sisters were teammates four years ago on the Valley United Earthquakes. Last year, they met in a game between Harvard-Westlake and Hart.

“It’s sad,” Sara said of the end of her sibling rivalry.

Last year, Sara took bragging rights when Harvard-Westlake defeated Hart, 1-0. But in the end, Kristin winning the Southern Section Division II championship with Hart overshadowed Sara’s Mission League title with the Wolverines.

Naturally, Sara predicts another Harvard-Westlake victory. Sara added injury to insult in last year’s game when, trying to control a loose ball, she jumped and struck Kristin in the chest with her knee, knocking the wind out of her sister.

Hart (2-1) boasts one of the region’s strongest offenses, scoring 13 goals. But the Indians haven’t faced a defense with the talent of Harvard-Westlake (6-0-2), which has yielded only three goals.

“They have a strong offense,” Sara said of Hart. “That’s what we are most worried about, but I think I can shut them out. I did it last year.”

The Deckers family is split in its allegiance. The girls’ father, Ted, sides with Kristin. But their mother, Cathy, and younger sister, Melissa, side with Sara. The parents plan to spend a half on each sideline.

Melissa, an eighth-grader, is a promising goalie and could replace Sara at Harvard-Westlake, where she hopes to play next year.

“We always joke about it, but we don’t have any real bets going,” Kristin said. “I don’t want to take any money from [Sara].”