Jamie Mountain
It seemed like the stars were aligning for the Muskie girls’ soccer team to advance to the all-Ontarios for the first time since 2016.
But then the Kenora Broncos threw a wrench into the black-and-gold’s plans.
The Muskies they saw their OFSAA dreams come to a crashing halt with a narrow 2-1 loss to the Kenora Broncos in last Wednesday’s NorWOSSA final in Dryden.
“We were more than surprised to be playing against the team who remained in last place all season,” Muskie assistant coach Sydney Radigan said of the championship game against the Broncos.
“Although our defensive line held their own, one of Kenora’s players somehow kept getting around our defenders to nab the two goals.
“Even though this was the case, we made some adjustments to our offensive line and got one of our own in the second half,” she recalled.
“Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time for our girls to net in a few more,” she conceded.
“It definitely kept us on our toes, especially near the end when our girls had lots of shots on net that were close to going in. Both teams wanted the NorWOSSA win; it was a very close game.”
A close game indeed.
The third-place Broncos bulged the twine twice in the first half as they carried a lead 2-0 into halftime in last week’s final.
Macey Witzke opened the scoring early in the first half when she got around the Muskie defence and fired a shot past Muskie keeper Jamie Spencer from inside the 18-yard box.
Makenzy Klassen then padded the Broncos’ cushion as she fired a strike home that beat Spencer on the right side to put the Muskies on their heels early.
Janissa Judson did get one back for the top-ranked Muskies in the second half to trim it to 2-1, but that’s as close as they would get.
Spencer suffered the loss in goal in allowing both of Kenora’s goals.
“Despite the loss, the Muskies played a great final game. It was much more controlled compared to the games we [the other] week in Kenora,” Radigan lauded.
“We were impressed at how positive our girls stayed even though the Broncos were up two for the duration of the game.
“We had been working on our passing techniques during our practice and there were noticeable improvements on the field,” she enthused.
“We also had a lot more shots/attempts on net which was great to see. The team worked hard the entire game–you could really tell that the girls wanted the win.”
With the win, the Broncos earned a berth to the all-Ontarios which are slated to kick off tomorrow and runs through Saturday in Belle River.
Kenora had advanced to the final against the Muskies after defeating the second-place Eagles 1-0 via a penalty kick shootout.
The Muskies had earned the bye to the final by virtue of their first-place finish in the regular season.
Looking back on the season as a whole, Radigan said that what had impressed the coaching staff the most about the Muskies this season was their determination in each league/tournament game.
“They work really well together and they were quicker and smarter out on the field each game they played,” she lauded.
“Every member of the team was very coachable, which makes it easier for us coaches,” she noted.
“They considered every piece of advice/instruction given to them and used it to make improvements and adjustments. They’ve come a long way and should be proud.”
The Muskies will be losing four players to graduation this year in Judson, captains Pasquel Shortreed and Gwen Macdonald, along with Alina Eldridge.
While Radigan noted that her squad would miss them, she is confident the returning players will step up to fill the void next season.
Although we will miss them, we still have a great bunch of girls in younger years who will be returning for yet another great season,” she noted.
“The ones who are graduating have been great role models throughout the entire season and truly have a love for the game,” she lauded.
“As assistant coach, I actually played with some of these girls my senior year when they were in grade 9. I’ve witnessed nothing but improvements and enjoyed watching them play this year.”
Radigan also feels as though there are a lot of positives for her returning players to draw from this season and feels it will make them better as a group moving forward.
“Our returning players should reflect back on this game and consider how close they were to winning,” she stressed.
“I hope they remain confident in their abilities. Some of our players still have the chance to win the title and I hope that [last week’s] loss encourages them to come out even better and stronger.”
Radigan hopes that her graduating players look back on the season with pride and she hopes that her returning players will work hard over the summer to build on the skills they already possess.
“They were very deserving of the NorWOSSA [title] despite the outcome, they worked hard to get where they are and should be pleased with themselves, she said of the graduating Muskies.
“We hope that the returning players look back on this day and continue to build their skills so that again, they come out better and stronger next year,” she reasoned.
“Our grads built up a great team this year and every single member of the team has improved individually.
“It’s time for the black-and-gold to come out with a gold. Next year will be our year,” Radigan predicted.
