Chantale and Emilie Campbell have always had a knack for staying with each other. From playing on the Canadian national U-17 team to coming to Texas, the identical twins have been nearly inseparable.

“We both knew that we liked soccer a lot more than any sport we played,” Chantale Campbell said. 

Now in their sophomore year, the two are a part of the Longhorns’ success so far this season.

Chantale Campbell has scored three goals and tallied three assists this season while Emilie Campbell has been a strong part of a defense that has given up 11 goals in 14 matches.

“I think their personalities are starting to blossom and we’re starting to see that every week,” head coach Angela Kelly said.

Growing up in London, Ontario, the Campbells took nearly the same route through soccer. Both played on the London City Flash, leading the team to a U-14 Canada National Championship in 2006, and led their high school squad to a gold medal in the 2011 Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations AAAA soccer tournament.

They were also a part of the 2010 Canadian Women’s National Team — Chantale Campbell as a part of the team that won the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football qualifying tournament and Emilie Campbell as a part of the player pool for the team. That’s where Kelly discovered them and brought them to Texas.

“I’m very familiar with the [Canadian] National Team,” Kelly said. “They both caught my attention at the international level.”

But while their road to Texas has been similar, on the pitch, their styles of play couldn’t be more different.

Chantale Campbell, a midfielder and forward, has more of an attacking mindset, which has helped her have a breakout season this year. After having only one assist last year, Chantale Campbell’s three goals this season are tied for second on the team and she’s tied for the team lead with three assists.

“Chantale is great at forward distributing balls out wide for Kelsey [Shimmick] or for any of the other forwards,” sophomore defender Ali Schmalz said.

Emilie Campbell, on the other hand, has always had a defensive mind, something she said goes back to when she was first playing soccer.

“Whenever we would play little games, I was always the one that was going back or going to the back line because I would always be worried that no one’s there to stop the ball or stop them from scoring,” Emilie Campbell said.

While defensive statistics don’t show up in the box score, Emilie Campbell has also had a much stronger season this year than she did last year.

“Emilie has done a great job technically and tactically against some of the best teams in the country and she’s been solid back there in our back line,” Kelly said.

Although she doesn’t know what’s down the road after college soccer, Chantale Campbell said she hopes that her and her sister will continue to play soccer together.

“I just want to keep playing,” Chantale Campbell said. “I don’t know exactly where we’ll try to play, but something like that.”