Distinguishing Naperville North senior forwards Amanda and Nadia Ratz from each other isn’t easy.
“I always tell them if they want to mess with me, they can switch jerseys,” Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said. “It’s hard to tell them apart, especially from afar, but it’s been an absolute joy coaching them. They give each other a little look and a smile, and we always joke about the fact that it’s hard to tell the two of them apart.”
But there are subtle differences.
“I have a freckle on my check,” Nadia Ratz said. “That’s how people usually tell the difference between us. Also, I’m a bit taller than Amanda.”
Nadia Ratz’s freckle is tiny and likely won’t be noticed, and the height difference is a fraction of an inch.
But there is no daylight between the sisters when it comes to work ethic. They’ve been strivers ever since they began playing soccer at age 3.
“They’re kids that have relentless engines,” Goletz said. “They work super hard, and that has been a definite boost into our attack.
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“We’ve had some injuries, and they’ve done a really nice job of stepping in and providing us a spark up top.”
That has been key for the Huskies (5-2-1, 2-0), who entered the season with a lot of question marks on offense.
Amanda Ratz was thrust into the starting lineup for Naperville North’s DuPage Valley Conference opener against DeKalb on April 7. She responded by scoring twice, and Nadia Ratz added a goal in the 4-0 victory.
Amanda Ratz has four goals, tying her for the team lead with senior forward Cameryn Lynde, who tallied her fourth in the Huskies’ 1-0 conference win over visiting Metea Valley in Naperville on Thursday. Lynde, Amanda Ratz and freshman midfielder Mary Mulvihill lead the team in assists with two each.
Nadia Ratz has yet to start but scored her first game-winning goal on a rebound as the Huskies beat Lake Forest on April 11. Both sisters are thrilled with their early success in their first and only varsity season.
“It means a lot considering that it took us three years to get here and the way we made it together and we get to play together,” Amanda Ratz said. “Our hard work paid off.”
Competition for roster spots is fierce in elite programs like Naperville North, but the Ratzes stuck it out. They first played on the freshman team and then moved up to JV1 for their sophomore and junior seasons.
How did they stay motivated?
“I would say our determination and attitude and also the confidence to keep going and to not give up,” Amanda Ratz said. “I know some people who kept getting mad that they weren’t getting the attention they deserved from the coaches, so they just quit. So I think just keeping up with it and sticking with it really helped.”
As did Goletz’s support.
“He was always saying, ‘If you keep working hard, it will show up. You just need to keep working from the next level to the next level,’” Amanda Ratz. “Once I saw that growth, I started believing in it.”
Goletz never doubted the Ratzes, who were the leading scorers on the JV level, would eventually play on the varsity team.
“Yeah, 100%, and that’s the great thing about our program,” Goletz said. “You’ve got kids every single year that step up and answer the call, and that’s why this program is what it is.
“They’re another example of playing freshman soccer, playing JV1 soccer and then getting their chance on varsity and showing what they’re made of. You have to have kids like that in order to sustain success, and we’ve been pretty fortunate to sustain a decent amount of success here over the course of time.”
While neither of the Ratzes will play college soccer, they aren’t finished with the sport yet.
“I’m still going to do club,” Amanda Ratz said. “I don’t think I can just give soccer up that easily after doing it for so long.”
Neither can Nadia Ratz.
“I think I’m also going to do club because I feel like soccer is a part of my life and I also just can’t give that up,” Nadia Ratz said. “I would miss it, and a part of me will also be missing after playing all these years.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.