NEW MILFORD — They’ve been together for so long, the occasional sister-like fights are almost inevitable.
“If we didn’t fight sometimes, we’d deeply hate each other on the inside,” Nicole Garcia said before bursting out laughing in the New Milford gymnasium with teammates/best friends Alexis Monroy, Alyssa Jasuale and Justine Ricciardelli sitting by her side.
The girls soccer star seniors have been linked on the pitch since they were 5 years old. The on- and off-field chemistry they’ve developed since then is undeniable.
Monroy and Ricciardelli’s fathers often coached the group before high school. New Milford coach Joe Albanese, one of their grade-school teachers, attended their games, often coming away impressed and excited for the future.
The talented bunch got accustomed to winning consistently at an early age.
“Growing up, winning was really all we knew how to do,” Monroy, a starter on New Milford’s 2013 sectional championship team — the first such title in program history — said of her fellow senior captains. “When we came to high school, we didn’t expect that to change. We were always good.”
The joke — although they’re adamant it’s serious — is that they’re New Milford’s version of the Yankees’ Core Four —four longtime friends, all three-sport athletes, who have experienced a great amount of success in their high school careers.
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