Although Maryland women’s soccer players Mikayla and Malikae Dayes enjoyed the home-cooked meals, the lively workouts with their mother and spending time with their new baby brother on their dad’s side during their time spent back in Brampton, Ontario, during the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the identical twins knew they wanted to come back for their senior year.

However, the decision to return to College Park required several moving pieces. Their mother, Georgette Williams, a registered nurse who has experience with coronavirus patients, was extremely hesitant at first. To feel comfortable, she wanted the rules she put into place to keep her family safe while Mikayla and Malikae were at home, to continue at school.

“Here it is Fort Knox and they have to carry whatever they are taught here. Your hands sanitized, have your mask on, have your gloves on if you’re going to certain places,” Georgette said. “You cannot go upstairs and jump in your bed if you’re going outside mixing with other people. There were rules in this house that were so stringent.”

Women’s soccer head coach, Ray Leone said the Dayes sisters are the kind of people who are always doing the right thing, and that’s one of the reasons Williams felt comfortable sending them back to the United States from Canada during the pandemic.

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