Sports

Blavet, Smith keep family tradition for Cedar Park girls' soccer team

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Cedar Park girls' soccer players Nicole Blavet and Chelsea Smith already knew they faced high expectations for themselves before even taking the field as freshman, three and two years ago, respectively.

Nicole was the younger sister of two-time All-District midfielder Sarah Blavet, while Chelsea had four-time All-District standout Veronica “Nicky” Smith to look up to.

Trying to follow in their footsteps would have been tough for anyone. Instead, the newest Blavet/Smith duo showed they could step out of the shadow and leave their own marks for Cedar Park girls' soccer.

“It's been great to have them both on the varsity and they have meant a lot to our success,” said Cedar Park coach Jennifer Womack. “They have both grown so much and they each bring something different to the team.”

The youngest Blavet, now a three-year starter on defense, has never played on a non-playoff team. And that playoff streak has become a source of pride for her, which includes district titles in 2005 and this season.

“These four years have gone by so fast for me, but its also been so much fun to be a part of this team,” Nicole said. “Reaching the playoffs every year is such a big deal to me, especially winning the district title as a senior.”

A member of the National Honor Society, who is preparing to study Business Management at Trinity University in the fall, Blavet uses those smarts as a three-year starter at sweeper.

Playing a different position from her sister helped to deflect the expectations she faced, but it also inspired Nicole to play even better.

“I didn't shy away from what people thought of me,” she said. “Coming in, I knew I had to be as good, if not better, than Sarah and it made me want to play even better.”

Both sisters are also quite different off the field as well, as Sarah is more outspoken and boisterous than the soft-spoken Nicole. Their play is also different, as Nicole is more of a reactive player on defense, while Sarah tended to force the issue in the midfield.

“We're both very different in a lot of ways,” Nicole said smiling. “But Sarah is one of my biggest fans. She's the one that taught me to play with confidence and to be a good leader.”

The same could be said for Smith when compared to her older sister, as Chelsea stands out at forward while Nicky was the team's starting sweeper for three years.

Chelsea, who leads the team in goals (15) and assists (15), has become one of the top all-around playmakers on offense.

“It was a lot easier on me to play at forward, and I always take pride in getting my teammates involved in the game,” she said. “It probably helped that I didn't play defense. My sister was just such a great player on defense.”

The younger Smith remembers playing with her older sister as a freshman, with Nicky barking orders to her teammates and always demanding the best from the team.

While Chelsea isn't that vocal on the field, she took quite a bit from playing on the field with her.

“My sister helped me so much in becoming a better player,” Chelsea said. “She was always pushing me to be better, giving me confidence with my play. I know I wouldn't be the same kind of player I am now if she wasn't there for me.”

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