With every brother and sister relationship comes sibling competition, and the Tataryns, both star soccer players for BSM, are no different. While Aleksa leads the girls’ varsity team in assists, Taras led the boys’ in goals, and both sit in second for points on their teams. To top off an amazing season for the siblings, they both received All-State honors with Taras earning All-State honorable mention and Aleksa earning All-State first team. Their soccer prowess and knowledge of the game has led them to be leaders on their respective teams.

Which begs the question, who is the better soccer player? It’s a tough question seeing as though they are different ages, different genders and play against different teams. In the entire regular season, Aleksa managed to rack up 14 goals and 18 assists, and Taras collected 8 goals and 4 assists. “I always tell Aleksa that when she scores against a good team, she can call me,” Taras joked.

Taras began his varsity career sophomore year, when the team was filled with experience. He helped the Red Knights win their fifth state championship as they beat Prairie Seeds Academy 3-1 in a thrilling championship match. “It was a crazy game, and I barely got any sleep the night before because I was so nervous. It was so intense but it was really fun to play in and winning state is one of the best feelings,” Taras said.

After being pulled up for sections in eighth grade, Aleksa started her freshman year on the varsity team. She has proven herself to be a dynamic forward with the capability to bolt past defenders and slot the ball past opposing keepers. “Aleksa is fast and quick with the ball. She can finish her chances and is a great asset to the team,” junior teammate Mimi Burns said.

College soccer is inevitable for the two as they hope to further their soccer careers. Both have attended college camps in hopes of being noticed by scouts. “I went to the Northwestern University camp, and they liked me, but I probably want to play D3 soccer. I want to go to Wheaton College, just outside of Chicago, or Macalester and maybe Loyola in Chicago,” Taras said.

Aleksa’s college soccer search began with camps as well. “If I play in college, I only want to play Division 1 soccer, but I went to the University of Minnesota camp, and the San Diego University camp as well. After the camps, the coach gave us an evaluation on how we did, which I liked because it showed me what I have to improve on and what they saw in my play,” Aleksa said.

Both on and off the field Aleksa has been trying to emulate Taras’ skills and intelligence, but while Taras boasts a 3.8 grade point average Aleksa sports a 3.9. “I’ve always looked up to Taras and tried to one-up him every step of the way,” Aleksa said.

So which Tataryn reigns supreme? That’s for you to decide.