Senior Aidan Smith, in 7th grade at the time, stood over the soccer ball, preparing to take a free kick 50 yards from the goal. He exhaled out and floated the ball toward the back post of the goal; the ball soared to his twin brother, senior Finn Smith, who rebounded the ball off his head and into the back of the net.
Five years later, the brothers would reference the play as one of their most memorable, as it was from the last year they played club soccer together.
They first began playing soccer together on that same club team, De Anza Force, at 3 years old, but stopped after nine years once they entered middle school. From there, they later spent three seasons of high school soccer together and played their last soccer game together in their junior year.
As seniors, Finn has continued to play soccer, serving as captain of the varsity boys’ team, while Aidan has shifted his focus to golf, having served as captain of the boys’ team for the past two seasons. Both teams qualified for CCS as a team this year.
Aside from playing on the varsity team as a striker, Finn plays for De Anza Force’s Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) ‘07 boys team. Finn also plays as an attacker on the varsity lacrosse team — a team he’s been part of for a season.
When the brothers played soccer together, their chemistry with each other often made the sport more fun. Each specialized in different attributes, allowing for one to complement the other in games.
“I’m a dead ball specialist, Finn is better at using his pace to beat defenders,” Aidan said. “We had crazy ‘greenlink’ (chemistry) between the two of us. I was always putting good balls ahead of Finn and he would speed after them.”
Finn also felt like he had more of an incentive to play when accompanied by his brother, as he felt the sport was more valuable to him with his sibling around.
But even without Aidan on the soccer team with him, Finn has still found his share of success: he scored the 13th most goals in the entirety of the Central Coast Section in the 2024-2025 winter season; during that season he captained the team to win their first league title in eight years as well as making it to the semifinal round in CCS.
“Soccer has always been a sport I love. I just love being able to use my speed, physicality and scoring ability all in one sport,” Finn said. “There’s nothing more satisfying for me than seeing the ball roll into the back of the net.”
For Aidan, golf became his true passion after quitting club soccer — he enjoys the focus the sport requires and the satisfaction of seeing the ball fly. Aidan has now captained the varsity golf team for two years, placing 3rd in the league this year with a 7-3-2 record. The team saw similar success last year, ending the season with an 8-4 record.
Individually, Aidan plays in the summer league club golf for the Saratoga Country Club. The club has weekly games on Wednesdays or Saturdays, where members can compete against each other.
“I plan to play golf until I physically cannot anymore; that’s really how much I enjoy it,” Aidan said. “I don’t plan to play for a varsity team in college, but I will likely play on a club team or for fun.”
Though both are team captains, they’ve found that their leadership styles are vastly different. While Aidan describes himself as a more vocal and commanding leader, Finn describes himself as more introverted, leading by effort and example rather than using his voice.
Both athletes hope to continue playing their sports in college intramurally or with a club. Aidan will attend Santa Clara University and study finance, while Finn is still undecided. Ultimately, their experiences playing together for more than a decade have helped develop them into the people they are now.
“I miss playing with [Aidan] at times, but soccer has still been fun regardless,” Finn said. “The chemistry you have with your brother is unmatched to what any teammate has with you, so it really makes you feel special when he’s the one assisting or defending you.”
