Women's Soccer | 9/17/2013 2:46:00 PM

ROCHESTER, NY – For RIT women's soccer, the old saying "everything is better in pairs" couldn't be more true. Jamie Martinez (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel) and Alexa Martinez (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel), twin sisters and members of the RIT squad have proven to be stellar soccer players and have left their mark on a soccer program with a bright future. 
 
Since the day Jamie and Alexa Martinez (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel) were born on July 12, 1992, their relationship as twin sisters blossomed, and never looked back.  Growing up in Holmdel, N.J., the two began their soccer careers and quickly found it to be a shared passion.  Although they are always there to support one another, they also have high expectations for each other, which from time to time sparks a little friendly competition between the sisters. 
 
"We're highly competitive, with each other and just individually," says Jamie.  "We're always comparing scores with our testing, seeing who beats who, and the same goes for on the field.  We are definitely more hard on each other than anyone else, but I think it's a good thing." 
 
Both Jamie and Alexa Martinez (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel) serve as RIT captains, and have led the team to a fantastic 4-1-1 start in 2013. On Sept. 3, the Tigers were nationally ranked in the NSCAA.com poll for the first time in the 32-year history of the program. Although, Alexa is a midfielder and Jamie, a defender, their aggressive styles of play makes them a match-up headache for any opponent. 
 
Jamie is the 5-5 back, who anchors the Tigers stingy defense.  She has appeared in all but one game in her career spanning 61 contests.  In 2011 she earned All-Liberty League honorable mention accolades after helping the RIT defense hold opponents to 0.94 goals per game.  Last season she anchored the RIT defense, which held opponents to just 0.79 goals per game en route to earning a first team All-Liberty League honors, as she helped RIT to an NCAA tournament appearance for the first time in program history.  In 2013 the RIT defense has allowed just one goal in six games. 
 
Then you have Alexa, the 5-6, aggressive midfielder who finds herself all over the field.  She made her collegiate debut in the same game as her sister, and has started in every single game since.  She scored her first collegiate goal in the second game of her career versus Keene State.  In 2011, Alexa was a second team All-Liberty League selection after tallying six points on three goals.  One year later, she was a first team All-Liberty League selection with her sister, after leading the Tigers to a 11-5-3 mark in their historic season.  She is a force in the middle of the field who gives her team a necessary offensive and defensive boost.  
 
As their successful careers have shown, the Martinez twins are two great soccer players individually.  However having them together on one team makes them a dynamic duo that any coach would love to have.   
 
"I don't know if I've coached an RIT game where Jamie and Alexa haven't been in the game and I'm not looking forward to that," said fourth-year RIT head coach Liz Masterson.  "They make a huge difference, not only in their talent, but I have confidence that in tough situations and deep into the game that their leadership, intensity and confidence will help us come out on top." 
 
No one has ever questioned the work ethic of the twins on the field, but what is perhaps more impressive is their ability to carry that mantra to the classroom.  In 2012, both Jamie and Alexa were named to the Capital One Academic All-New York District Women's Soccer Team, which recognizes distinguished student athletes who excel in the classroom as well as on the field.  As fourth year new media design majors, Alexa carries an impressive 3.96 grade-point average with Jamie right behind her with a 3.94 GPA, evidence that the sisters schoolwork is as important to the twins as their success on the field.
 
"Lou Spiotti (Executive Director of Athletics) talks a lot about how awesome the team GPA is here [at RIT]," said Jamie.   "Academically our program is very rigorous here, we're both new media design majors, we're in the lab all the time, we have projects nonstop and it takes a lot out of you, but I can't see it any other way." 
 
"[Being named to Capital One Academic team] felt good," Alexa said.  "To have all the time and effort we put both into soccer and our academics pay off that way, was really nice." 
 
As the 2013 season continues for Tigers, there is no doubt that the Martinez sisters will play an important role in the team's success, as they chase a Liberty League Championship and eye a second straight NCAA tournament run. 
 
"We definitely know we can win the Liberty League," Alexa said.  "Knowing we were the better team in NCAA's last year but not advancing on penalty kicks just fuels the fire in us.  For me I want to go as far as possible, and I know we can," she added. 
 
Six games into the season, the Tigers are nearing the always-important Liberty League Conference portion of their schedule, which kicks off at Clarkson on September 28.  They conclude the season against William Smith College on November 2, before beginning the Liberty League Tournament.  Hopefully, the Tigers can play deep into November and a story run in the NCAA tournament.