On Nov. 5, the Brandeis women's soccer team will take the pitch for the final time this season, and for the seniors, it will be their last game wearing a Brandeis jersey. Nov. 5 will also be the last game forward Mimi Theodore '12 and defender Ali Theodore '12 will share as teammates, a bond they have shared since the age of seven.

The term "sibling rivalry" does not seem to apply to the Theodores, who have always enjoyed each other's company on and off the playing field.

"We're not competitive with each other," Ali said. "We care about how each other does, and if I tell her to step it up, it's because I really want her to do well."

The Theodores both believe that their sibling rivalry is replaced with a trustworthy and genuine support system.

"It's great to have someone who is truthful, someone who genuinely isn't afraid to hurt your feelings, but wants you to succeed," Ali said. "Mimi is the last person I compete with. Her success is my success."

 "I have a lot of confidence and trust in her," added Mimi. "If you have a bad game, there is someone to vent to, and it's great to have someone going through exactly what you are going through."

 Despite playing on opposite ends of the field, the twins know each other's styles extremely well after playing together for 14 years.

"Mimi is more predictable," Ali explained. "When I play with Mimi, she likes to make a diagonal run and play the ball early, or else she will be offside. I know not to hold it too long if I play it to her."

 "If Ali is calling for a ball back, she gets mad if I don't play it back, or if I don't play the correct ball," said Mimi.

When Mimi and Ali were in the recruiting process for playing soccer in college, they were not a "package deal" and did not express any issues with playing for different colleges. Ideally, though, the Theodores hoped they could play together.

"When we were looking at soccer programs, we approached coaches together. Brandeis was the perfect fit academically, and it was the kind of soccer we were looking for," said Ali.

Most first-year athletes struggle at first upon entering college athletics; they are faced with an entirely new group of teammates and the sports are much more rigorous than high school. In order to last on the team, they have to push themselves to a higher level of play. The Theodore twins were grateful that they had each other to navigate the challenges that college athletics posed.

"Getting used to playing with Ali at the college level was the same as getting used to playing with anyone at the college level, but at first, I definitely had more confidence and trust in Ali," said Mimi.

The Theodores find themselves in a familiar position for college seniors—they are trying to chart out the next phase of their lives. However, it seems that their soccer lives will end with the final whistle on Nov. 5.

"We need a break from soccer, I'm starting to feel it in my body," Ali said. "I'd love to get into coaching someday, but for now, we need a break."

"We need to focus on other stuff as we get older," agreed Mimi.

The Theodores are not only parting ways from the soccer world, but they may be parting ways from each other.

"We'll probably be going our separate ways," said Ali.

"We both want to go to law school, we're taking our LSATs next year and want to do something unique next year," added Mimi. "But I don't know if we'll go to the same school."

Being teammates for 14 years, it will surely be odd when the Theodore twins head in different directions after graduating this year. Even so, they will stand to benefit in the future from having such a strong bond both on and off the field.