Twinning soccer success: Sewell sisters wrap up historic career for Saugus

By Dom Nicastro

The Saugus High School girls’ soccer team will have to figure out a way to replace 183 career points. And those points came from a pair who share the same room in the same house. This season marked the end of an era for the Sewell sisters — senior captains Shawn and Shayln — who combined for 183 career points.

Shawn Sewell became just the second 100-point scorer in program history, finishing with 58 goals and 42 assists, while twin sister Shalyn ended her career with 83 points on 47 goals and 36 assists. Together, they joined 2024 graduate and all-time leader Madison Botta (137 points) and 1988 standout Pam Hashem (96 points) atop the Saugus scoring record book.

The Saugus Advocate caught up with the identical twins for a Q&A:

  Advocate: When did you start playing soccer and what were your pre-high school best memories in the sport?

  Shawn: I started playing soccer at 5 or 6 years old. The best pre-high school memory was winning MTOC and going to states while playing town soccer.

  Shayln: I started playing soccer when I was 5, and my favorite memories while playing soccer before high school was playing with my town team and winning MTOC.

  Advocate: Tell me about your relationship with your sis? In a soccer sense, but also as just sisters, what do you like to do together? Always had separate rooms or shared?

  Shawn: Me and my sister always had a close relationship. Soccer being one of those things that kept us close and got us closer.

  Shayln: Me and my sister are very close. We have so much chemistry when we are playing soccer together. We just know what one another is thinking without having to communicate on the field. We have a twin-sized bed that we share as well as sharing a room with my mum at the same time.

Advocate: Tell us about your sister’s soccer game vs. yours?

  Shawn: We don’t have totally different games on the field. However, she plays a completely different position in the middle of the field that definitely requires playing with greater urgency. I would say we both have impressive vision on the field, always finding a way to counter-attack.

Shayln: I think my sister and I play the same for the most part, but since she plays as the 9 and I play as the 10, I’m usually more of the playmaker in the midfield, and she tends to score more goals.

  Advocate: Do you have other siblings? They play sports? Any other athletes in the family?

  Shawn: I have one older sister who danced all her life, and my mom was a pretty good athlete growing up as well.

Shayln: I have one other sister who’s 26, and she used to competitively dance and she still dances and teaches it.

  Advocate: What kind of twins are you?

  Shawn: Me and my sister are identical twins, but the easiest identical twins to tell apart.

  Advocate: What was it like being part of a historic run for Saugus girls soccer personally and as a team?

  Shawn: Being on a historic run, I felt pressured, and I’m sure the team felt a lot of pressure especially with all the challenges we faced this year. I just kept playing hard and only focused on one goal.

  Shayln: It feels so rewarding especially playing with girls who are like my best friends because it makes me feel like I’m playing with my family.

Advocate: What is your message to upcoming girls at Saugus about what it takes to be successful at this level?

Shawn: My message to upcoming players would be to not give up on your team and just keep playing hard. It doesn’t matter how good you are; if you give 100 percent and leave everything on the field, nothing but good things will come back to you.

  Shayln: I think it’s important to have fun and not take it as serious as you think you need to take it, because when you have fun, it’s usually when you play your best.

  Advocate: What’s next for you academically and athletically?

  Shawn: Next year I’m thinking I will attend a four-year college to pursue criminal justice. I’m thinking I’ll play soccer and basketball at a club level.

  Shayln: Academically I am trying to go and study radiology, hopefully going to college in Florida, but athletically I’m not sure I am going to play soccer at a higher level.

  Advocate: What kind of fun things/jobs you do in the summer?

  Shawn: In the summer, I participate in our summer league games and trainings. And spend lots of time hanging out with my friends and family.

  Shayln: In the summer, I usually just hang out with friends or go to the field and play pickup.