Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007
Holton-Arms School senior forward Catherine Swanson distinctly remembers the first time she saw teammate, senior midfielder Casey Ellerman. It was fall 2002, the first day of seventh grade at Holton.
As Ellerman, slightly built yet visibly athletic, confidently strolled through the hallway, murmurings of her soccer talent circled. And Swanson, a fantastic soccer player herself, immediately felt drawn to her.
Six years later not only have the two forged an unbreakable friendship rooted in their love for soccer — both are four-year starters for Holton — but they’ve formed a record-breaking scoring tandem for the Panthers. Swanson’s 16 goals in 2007 give her a school-record 73 career total and Ellerman, who’s tallied five goals and 10 assists this year, holds the school’s all-time assists record with 54.
And, in accomplishing both those feats, Swanson, who’ll play lacrosse at Stanford next year, and Ellerman, who’ll play soccer on scholarship at Miami of Ohio, have sparked the Panthers’ resurgence. They combined for 40 of Holton’s 53 goals last year in leading the Panthers to a 12-2 record and the Independent School League A Division title, returning them to the league’s upper division (AA) this year after a two-year absence.
‘‘We’ve beaten some good teams and we’re a good team but Holton hasn’t always been typically known for being the best soccer team out there,” Ellerman said. ‘‘It’s nice to know that we’ve been a part of helping get the program back up. Playing together for four years has definitely helped us. We always know where each other is going to be. I can have my head down and pass the ball and miraculously it’ll end up in Catherine’s path.”
Part of what’s enabled Swanson and Ellerman to be so effective is their contrasting styles mesh together perfectly. Ellerman is a playmaker. She likes to hang back toward the midfield and distribute, sparking most of the Panthers’ offensive runs. And her immaculate ball skills enable her to hold and possess the ball long enough to spot openings with her impeccable field vision, or draw the foul.
Swanson, powerful up top, is a pure striker. She uses her 5-foot-8 athletic stature to dominate opposing defenders. She’s strong yet quick and agile. She’s remarkably composed and technically savvy in the final third, allowing her to score almost at will — she netted 24 goals as a sophomore and 22 last year.
‘‘We really complement each other,” Ellerman said. ‘‘It’s like the things that I don’t do as well, she does. And things she doesn’t like to do, I do. I like being part of the midfield, spraying balls to the width. And Catherine likes sitting up high, running out those balls and scoring.”
Swanson and Ellerman’s trust and confidence in each other allows for strong communication on the field. And it’s contagious among their teammates. Both captains, they’re leaders on the field, both by example and verbally.
They’re true competitors, always striving to improve. And their pure passion for soccer is conveyed to their peers daily in their on-field efforts.
‘‘It’s been very special to have these two players together on our team,” third-year Holton coach Alberto Rios said. ‘‘They are excellent workers, all business. They’re here to train hard and they practice like they play games. I don’t have to push them. In fact, it’s the opposite. If a practice isn’t hard enough, they’ll tell me. I always put them on opposite teams during competition games in practice. They both hate to lose so that just elevates the level of the practice, makes it more challenging for everyone.”
Though Swanson and Ellerman’s stellar high-school careers are winding down — the ISL season-ending tournament kicks off Wednesday when Holton travels to National Cathedral School — they both have so much ahead of them, the excitement of challenging themselves against elite college athletes.
And though for the first time in six years Swanson and Ellerman won’t see each other every day next year, they’ll still relish in each other’s experiences and successes, continuing to build their friendship.
‘‘We’ll definitely stay in touch,” Swanson said. ‘‘I’ll go to Ohio, she’ll come to California. Even though we’re playing different sports in college, we still have so much in common. Over these six years we’ve built a strong relationship on and off the field.”
