Besides sharing a household, Woodridge

natives Sarah and Lauren Rusk share a passion for soccer.

Sarah Rusk, a former Eastern Panther who graduated with a degree in

elementary education, played in four seasons, starting in 29 games

and playing in 61 games.

Although not seeing much time on the field, she has been honing her

skills with her younger sister Lauren since they were little.

“My sister started playing before I did and I would always want to

join her team,” said freshman Lauren Rusk. “So I started practicing

with her and her team because my dad was the coach of her park

district team.”

It started with their older sister, Erin Rusk, who played soccer at

Illinois State, and older brother, Joe Rusk, who played soccer at

the College of DuPage. That was when the passion for soccer began

for the rest of the family. The sisters used to play and practice

in their backyard at home, enjoying the game they love.

“I’ve been playing soccer since I was four and my sister has been

playing since she was that age, too,” Lauren Rusk said. “We’ve

never been able to play together because when I was a freshman in

high school, she had just graduated, and it is the same with

college.”

Sarah Rusk scored her first collegiate goal at Tennessee-Martin her

freshman year and recorded a total of four overall while at

Eastern. Her sister Lauren has yet to get the opportunity to get

her first collegiate goal because she has been sidelined with a

torn ACL.

Sarah said she was really excited when she scored her first goal.

She was nervous, but it was exhilarating and worth it.

“Being hurt, I’ve only been able to run and do therapy for my

knee,” Lauren Rusk said. “Hopefully within the next month I’ll be

able to get back into playing and practicing with the team.”

From the sidelines, Lauren Rusk watches her teammates play and

supports them knowing that one day she will be out there feeling

the excitement of the game.

Sarah Rusk was picked for the 2010 Ohio Valley Conference

All-Tournament Team her senior year and Lauren Rusk would love to

follow in her sister’s footsteps and even play with her

someday.

“I would love to be able to play with my sister if I could,” Lauren

Rusk said. “I know if I did, I could learn a lot from her.”

Lenny Arquilla can be reached at

581-7944 or lrarquilla@eiu.