Double trouble for Rambler rivals W
hen Monica Gonyo played high school soccer in
Waukesha, Wisconsin, she’d watch from the backfield as her twin sister, Valerie, scored goal after goal on the front line. Valerie’s exploits earned her front-page coverage in the Waukesha Journal and numer- ous awards, including a Wisconsin Player of the Year award from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Now it’s Monica’s time to shine.
Sports Illustrated recently named her in its “Faces in the Crowd” column after the goalkeeper opened the season with back-to-back shut- outs—a first in school history. The summer before, Monica won the Golden Glove award for helping lead her FC Milwaukee club team to a national title. The 19-year-old twins are both
standout freshman players. “They are an asset to the program,” Coach Barry Bimbi says. “They both work hard. And they’re looking to get better.”
WOMEN’S SOCCER Monica and Valerie look a lot
alike, although they’ve never been tested to determine whether they are officially identical twins. They are both 5 feet, 11 inches tall. They live together. They train together. They are both biology majors, and they take several classes together. “People say we’re inseparable,”
Monica says. “We’re close. We do a lot of things together. But, believe it or not, we also do things separately.” The twins have been on the
same soccer team since age 5. They won a Wisconsin Division II State Title their junior year at Catholic Memorial High School in Waukesha. Valerie scored the only goal. Monica recorded a shutout. “It was exciting to win a state title after losing the championship game the previous two seasons,” Valerie says. “I remem- ber Monica running up and hugging me. She hugs me every time I score a goal.”
Freshman twins Valerie (left) and Monica (right) Gonyo make friendly competition work for them on the soccer field.
With Valerie playing defense,
she’s near her goalkeeper sister when they’re on the field together. Years of playing together help them communicate. They might also be getting help from what Monica jok- ingly calls “twin telepathy.” “I kind of know where she’s going
to be, and she knows where I’m go- ing to be,” Monica says. As with all siblings, there are
periodic dust-ups and some good- natured rivalry. “They’re competitive and they push each other to get better,” Bimbi says. “On shooting drills, I try to beat
her,” says Valerie. But that’s just fun and games.
“When one of us is down and needs someone to talk to, the other one is there,” Monica says. “We know we can always count on each other.”
SPORTS SHORTS
WOMEN’S GOLF • The women’s golf team either won or finished runner-up in each of its five fall tournaments. Led by senior Ann Vrdolyak, who owned a 76.7 stroke average this fall, the Ramblers rolled to the team title at both the Western Illinois Autumn Invitational and the Chi-Town Showdown in October. Vrdolyak earned medalist honors at three of Loyola’s five fall meets and set a school record for a 36-hole score with a 148 (75-73) at the WIU Autumn Invitational.
ALUMNI SOFTBALL • The softball team held its annual Alumni Game on September 17 and welcomed back over 20 former players for a 16-inch softball game versus the current Rambler softball squad.
MEN’S GOLF • Sophomore Alex Cusumano earned medalist honors for the first time in his career when he won the individual title at the John Piper Intercollegiate hosted by Bowling Green State University, September 19-20. The lefthander notched a 54-hole score of 216 (76- 71-69) to finish two strokes ahead of the runner-up and help Loyola finish tied for first as a team before dropping a playoff to Bowling Green.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY • The men’s cross country squad finished second at the Horizon League Championship on October 29 thanks to the efforts of senior Josh Stein, who led all Ramblers, placing fifth overall with a time of 26:20 and earning First Team All-Horizon League honors for the third time in his career. Loyola was ranked No. 14 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTF- CCCA) Great Lakes Region rankings released on October 31.
FALL 2011
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PHOTOS BY STEVE WOLTMANN
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