PINKUS SISTERS SHINE BRIGHT FOR VT FUSION

Written By:  Mike Perry
            ​ East Region Contributor

The Pinkus sisters grew up playing the game of soccer in Manchester but took separate paths once they reached the collegiate level. Hannah, a midfielder, played her first four years at Colgate but has now transferred to Providence. Grace is a senior at UMass and primarily plays the forward position. Despite playing for different collegiate programs, they’re still close and try their best to watch each other’s matches.

“We always try to watch each other’s games, and if we are playing at the same time, we always check Twitter for updates or pull up the live video soon after,” Hannah said. “If we are playing near each other’s campus, we will meet our parents at the game and watch in person. We always stay in touch, talking to each other almost every day”.

They may play on separate collegiate teams, but in the WPSL they’re teammates at VT Fusion. Playing together last season for the club was a blast for the sisters after having not played together since high school. Their chemistry on the field didn’t miss a beat, even after a few years of not being teammates.

“It was such an incredible experience to play together again, with growing up playing and training together, we know each other very well on the field,” Grace said. “Which made it so much fun to be able to play together again after playing separate collegiate seasons”.

Last season VT Fusion finished with a record of 5-1-2, undoubtedly a solid showing for the 2021 WPSL expansion club. Grace finished the season with four goals and two assists, while Hannah had four goals and one assist. Grace ended up winning Offensive Player of the Year for the Metropolitan North and was named to the All-Conference team. Even with last season’s accolades and performance, Hannah and Grace are far from finished when it comes to winning in this league.

“Our goals for this upcoming season is to continue to stay in shape and prepare for our own upcoming fall collegiate seasons,” Hannah said. “We want to do whatever we can to help the team towards another conference title.”  

They’ve certainly helped the team. In VT Fusion’s second match of the season, Grace had two goals and Hannah had one.
 

Even though they’re locked in and ready to win, the sisters haven’t taken for granted the experience and opportunity they’ve been given. Competing together in their hometown with other highly skilled athletes is a dream come true, and they couldn’t be more excited for their second season with VT Fusion.
 

“Playing for the WPSL has been an amazing experience for both of us so far and playing back home in Manchester makes it even sweeter,” Grace said. Having the support of our family, friends, old teammates and coaches has been tremendous towards our individual and team success. We can’t wait to see what this season brings.”