Sam & Kristie Mewis Of Hanson Become First Sisters To Make Olympic Women's Soccer Roster

BOSTON (CBS) -- Two local sisters will make history at the Tokyo Olympics next month, as Massachusetts' own Samantha and Kristie Mewis will be the first pair of sisters on the U.S. Women's soccer team on a world championship stage.

The Mewis girls were born in Weymouth and grew up in Hanson, where they were both stars at Whitman-Hanson High. They both became first-time Olympians on Wednesday morning, when they were named to the 18-player USWNT roster for the Tokyo Olympics.

Sam, 28, was an alternate for the 2016 Olympics. She was on the 2019 Women's team that won the World Cup, and was named the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year in 2020. She currently plays for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League.

Kristie, 30, played collegiately at Boston College and is currently a midfielder for the Houston Dash of the NWSL. She was named the team's MVP in 2020. She is the only player on the USWNT roster that was not on the team in 2019.

The U.S. women have won four gold medal since women's soccer became an Olympic sport in 1996, but were upset by Sweden in the quarterfinals in the 2016 Olympics. They now look to become the first team to win Olympic gold after winning a World Cup title.

Before heading to Tokyo, the women's team will play a two games in the Send-Off Series in Hartford, Connecticut at the end of the month. They open the Olympic group stage on July 21, when they'll seek some revenge against Sweden, with kickoff set for 4:30 a.m.