Mitch Calvert
The goal of every NorWOSSA soccer season is to win enough games to claim top spot and that all-important bye to the league final.
The Muskie girls’ squad did just that last Wednesday after blanking the Dryden Eagles 3-0 up in Kenora in the final week of regular-season action.
“That was our goal—to win that first game and then be able to take it easy for Game 2 [against the host Broncos],” Muskie coach Sarah Noonan said.
“We are exactly where we want to be going into [this] week,” she stressed.
“Now we don’t have to worry about getting tired and playing an extra game,” agreed Muskie defender Sara Kellar.
“Now it’s just focusing on the final game and being rested, and playing in front of the home crowd,” she added.
“You want to make them proud, so that’s extra motivation for us, too.”
The Muskies got goals from Allison Brown, Courtney Roach, and Kelsey Quibell in the win over Dryden.
“Our first game was spectacular,” Kellar enthused. “Our first touch was really good, that’s been something we’ve been working on all season, and we were first to the ball, and just in general our communication was up there.
“Everyone was on top of their game [last Wednesday] morning.”
Unfortunately, it proved to be a costly win as Muskie defender Anikka McTavish suffered a broken leg in the final minutes and will be lost for the rest of the season.
“We had her in midfield and we’ve recently been playing her on the defensive line as a really speedy defender,” noted Noonan. “She’s been really effective back there, so to not have her is a bummer.
“We’ve been shuffling people around, so we seem to have some depth and flexibility among the players we have, so hopefully we can overcome it.”
Kellar will be relied on even more heavily—and said she’s up for the challenge.
“I’ve just got to keep going, that’s what I think about, don’t let anybody down because they are really counting on you,” she remarked.
“I want to play well for the [graduating players] and make their last year worth it.”
The Muskies went on to lose their afternoon match-up with the Broncos by a 3-0 score in a game with no playoff implications.
“We could’ve had that game, too, but they got two penalty-kick goals and their third one was kind of a fluke,” Kellar noted.
The Eagles beat the Broncos in the day’s other game. Those two teams then faced each other again in the NorWOSSA semi-final earlier today.
That winner will play the host Muskies for a berth at the all-Ontarios on June 4-6 in Kenora.
As OFSAA host this year, the Broncos have an automatic bye into the event—meaning the Eagles will be looking to steal the second berth with a win over Fort High should they advance to the league final.
Should Kenora win the semi-final, Fort High will advance even if they lose to the Broncos in the final.
The girls will host the final at 3:30 p.m. today.
Not having to endure a marathon bus ride to attend OFSAA should play in favour of the two NorWOSSA reps this season, and they’ll be looking to surprise some of the quality teams travelling up from southern and eastern Ontario.
NorWOSSA teams are at a decided disadvantage given their much shorter season than those from the south, but the Muskies surprised many with their competitiveness in Collingwood last June and anything can happen in the condensed format of OFSAA.
Kellar said keeper Taylor Meyers will be a big key if the Muskies hope to make waves beyond today.
“She’s very vocal, tells you what she wants you to do, and where she wants you,” Kellar noted. “She always looks for options and plays both sides of the field.”
