Julia and Lydia Ward always played lacrosse together. Going from John Carroll to Maryland was a no-brainer.

Shared lacrosse memories go back further than Lydia or Julia Ward can remember. There’s an old picture of the two smiling side-by-side with their first lacrosse sticks. Lydia’s was pink and Julia’s was purple — their favorite colors and an early guide to differentiating the twin sisters.

“It’s the cutest picture ever of us just holding our sticks,” Lydia said. Julia added: “Our parents were just like, ‘Go out and have fun and try to learn a new sport.'”

They have shared the field ever since — in recreation, club and high school lacrosse. And they aren’t stopping anytime soon.

Lydia, a defender, and Julia, a goalie, eventually traded in the purple and pink for John Carroll black and gold. Next season, the seniors will upgrade to the University of Maryland’s red, black and gold. It’s an unbreakable sisterhood that has largely defined their hand-in-hand lacrosse success.

Their time at John Carroll recently concluded with the Patriots’ loss in the IAAM A Conference playoffs, but their legacies continue and their playing careers will remain intertwined at the next level.

“I’ve been really lucky and privileged to coach these two,” Patriots coach Laura Seifert said. “They’re hard-working. Their effort day in and day out, they’re just stellar. And [they’re] key impact players for the team.”

It’s natural for twins, at some point along the way, to split into different interests or yearn for some semblance of independence. Lydia and Julia never particularly felt that way. As they say, they’ve been best friends from they second they were born.

Once when they were little, Lydia made the “B” soccer team and Julia made the “A” team. So Julia played with the “B” team to share the field with her sister.

“Sometimes with twins, it might be hard for them to get along or they might butt heads,” Julia said. “But Lydia and I, we’re the true definition of being sisters. We can fight and the next minute we’re laughing at each other. That translates onto the field. It’s such a privilege to play with your sister who’s your best friend.”

When they practice together at home, Julia always has someone to practice shooting against her. Although a misfired ball might stir an argument, they always fizzle quickly to laughs. Their dad, Brian, a former national champion at Salisbury University, is often the extra practice player and mediator, too.

As fraternal twins, Lydia and Julia do have a bit of telepathy from nearby positions.

When Julia is in net, she can sometimes sense when something is off with her sister. Lydia might be playing through pain or getting in her own head. Teammates and coaches can’t see the subtle giveaways, but Julia can.

Lydia describes her sister as the consummate leader. Without Julia’s quarterbacking voice in net, the Patriots’ back line would crumble. Julia, in turn, called Lydia “the grittiest player” she’s ever seen. “She would literally put her life on the line for a lacrosse game,” Julia said. “She would do anything for her teammates.”

Their favorite shared experience in four years at John Carroll came just last month. The Patriots downed St. Paul’s, 8-7, in a double-overtime thriller with junior midfielder Grace Marchetti netted the winning goal. Naturally, her teammates mobbed her. But Lydia quickly dipped back to be the first to hug Julia, who made 13 saves in the nail-biting win.

“Our first few years before Laura was our coach were a struggle,” Julia said. “Our program has made such a big improvement this year. That game … it’s just so rewarding to have a huge win like that. And I knew she was gonna be the first person to cheer with me after we won.”

The twins realized in early middle school, playing six days a week for the Maryland-based club team Sky Walkers, that with enough hard work they could play in NCAA Division I. That belief was solidified when they earned spots on the USA Select Under-18 girls team last fall. There was little conversation about whether they’d take the next step together.

As a test run, Lydia and Julia individually took one college visit without the other present. Maybe they would realize it was time to split off. Quite the opposite. Lydia cried during her entire visit. “I knew deep down I couldn’t do this without [Julia],” Lydia said.

Once Maryland came calling, the decision was a no-brainer. From the time the sisters were taking the field carrying pink and purple sticks, they had watched Terps lacrosse, both on TV and in person.

“When I stepped on campus,” Julia said, “within the first five minutes, [I knew] this is where I want to be and this is where I want to play lacrosse, just knowing Lydia was by my side. Being a Terp is so surreal.”