Muskie girls’ squad inconsistent here

The Muskie girls’ soccer team enjoyed mixed results weekend at a tournament here last weekend, managing two wins, a loss, and a draw in their four games.
Muskie co-head coach Adam Craig was happy to come away with a winning record, but believes the team has a lot of work to do before it is ready to compete at the next level.
“We had our moments but there are definitely a lot of things we can improve on,” he admitted.
The tournament here marked the beginning of NorWOSSA play and so the games counted towards the standings. Craig said the increased pressure accompanying the meaningful league games adversely affected the Muskies.
“I think our girls felt pressure because the games meant something and we missed out on some scoring chances because of it,” he remarked.
“Sometimes we’re panicking and we just kick the ball as soon as we get it,” he added. “I think if we can slow down the pace of the game, stick our heads up, and look for open players, we’ll do a lot better.”
Team captains Alyssa Holliday and Natalie Cain acknowledged the Muskies’ struggles in the tournament, but felt the team improved steadily over the course of the weekend.
Both were particularly pleased with the Muskies’ performance in their final game against the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints (Kenora).
“This game was the game that we finally came together and we worked so hard and everything just worked out,” Cain said. “Before we had some struggles with communication, but we really got it together in this game.
“I’m so proud of us,” she enthused.
Holliday also was quick to point out the great strides the Muskies have made since they began play late last month in Winnipeg.
“Our first game [of the year], we had not very much passing at all and no communication at all,” Holliday recalled. “We were all over the field.
“And now we’re starting to see where our players are and open up, and use our whole field instead of just right in the middle or one side.
“We’re not clumping as much and it’s working out really well for us,” she added.
The Muskies opened the tournament Friday morning against the Dryden Eagles and got off to a dream start when Blaire Harnett scored in the first five minutes to make it 1-0.
But the Eagles responded well to the Muskie challenge and carried the majority of play for the rest of the first half.
Dryden’s domination continued throughout the second half and had it not been for some solid goaltending by Shannon Gibson, the black-and-gold would have found themselves tied or trailing the Eagles.
However, Gibson proved to be the difference as the Muskies held on for that 1-0 victory.
The Muskies then faced the Kenora Broncos later Friday, with both teams playing a hard-fought defensive game. Most of the action took place in the centre of the pitch, limiting both teams’ scoring chances.
On the rare occasion Fort High managed to penetrate the Bronco defence, they were unable to convert it into a goal.
In fact, neither of the evenly-matched teams could score during regulation time and the game ended in a 0-0 draw.
The Muskies did not have to wait long for another crack at the Broncos as they faced Kenora in the first of their two games on Saturday.
The black-and-gold did not field their full roster as they were missing some players due to prior commitments and illness. And the Broncos took advantage to earn a 1-0 victory.
Fort High then faced the Saints in their final game of the tournament. From the outset it was apparent the Saints were overmatched—and it didn’t take long for the Muskies to get on the scoreboard.
Hannah Firth opened the scoring in the first half when she and several of her teammates found themselves on a breakaway. The Muskies had been awarded a free kick near the centre of the pitch and when the Saints’ defence did not react to the long ball into their end, Firth took advantage.
Melanie Herr added a goal before halftime to make it 2-0.
The second half began much the same way the first half had ended—with the Muskies applying constant pressure.
Fort High had several good scoring chances before Claire Crichton finally tallied the third goal, burying a rebound off a scramble in front of the Saints’ goal.
The Saints later would score to make it 3-1 but that was as close as they would get.
The Muskie girls travel to Sioux Lookout this weekend to face both the Eagles and Broncos as Fort High looks to solidify its hold atop the ‘AA’ division heading into the NorWOSSA championship later this month.