Their chemistry on the pitch is almost uncanny until you realize that Kristy and Gigi Avila are identical twins.
The sisters – who also mirror one another’s style of play – have been causing opposing defenses headaches this season with their pace and creativity in the midfield.
On Tuesday night, they were up to their same antics against a familiar foe.
Kristy Avila scored the winning goal in the 64th minute, firing a pass she received from her sister into the net, giving Brea Olinda a 1-0 win over No. 5 Esperanza in a Century Conference match at Brea Olinda High.
“We got some solid midfield play,” Brea coach Mike Knaus said. “Both teams seemed to get a little tired there toward the end. We both created opportunities. We just got one and they didn’t in a pretty even game.”
With the game scoreless at the break, the Wildcats opened the second half as the aggressors, rattling off three shots on net in the opening 10 minutes.
In control of the ball deep in Esperanza territory in the 64th minute, Gigi Avila sent a pass from the Aztecs’ end line to her sister standing at the left corner of the 18-yard box.
On her first touch, Kristy sent a low-lining shot across the box, past a diving Katelyn Sullivan and into the side-netting for the game’s only goal.
In the Sunset League:
No. 4 Huntington Beach 1, No. 8 Los Alamitos 0 (OT): For the second consecutive match, the Oilers found themselves in overtime against a ranked league foe. This time around, Sawyer Koelsch made sure Huntington Beach walked off the field with a victory.
The junior forward netted a golden goal in the first overtime period, giving the Oilers a critical league win against a talented Griffins squad.
No. 2 Edison 4, Fountain Valley 1: The Chargers jumped to a two-goal lead in the first half and went on to secure their first league victory on the road against the Barons. Edison forward Amy Feinstein finished with two goals, while teammate MiKayla Edwards added two assists from the midfield.
In the Academy League:
Sage Hill 14, Calvary Chapel of Downey 0: Junior forward Lexi Magliarditi set a school record with nine goals for the Lightning in its victory at Sage Hill. Senior midfielder Paige Burke had five assists and one goal for Sage Hill.
In the Trinity League:
Mater Dei 2, JSerra 1: Senior midfielder Briana Meyer’s second-half scoring strike broke a 1-1 tie and allowed the Monarchs to open Trinity League play with a win over the visiting Lions.
In nonleague:
No. 1 Aliso Niguel 2, St. Margaret’s 0: Lauren Miller and Macie Danna both scored second-half goals, giving the Wolverines a victory over the host Tartans.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com