Mitch Calvert
Just don’t beat yourselves.
That was the message being sent to the Muskie boys’ soccer team from coach Shane Beckett heading into their NorWOSSA semi-final game against the Dryden Eagles today (9:30 a.m.).
“The game against Dryden [a 1-1 tie last Wednesday in Kenora], we had another own goal and we missed a penalty shot, so if we can stop shooting ourselves in the foot and start capitalizing on opportunities they give us, we should be all right,” Beckett stressed.
“We aren’t helping ourselves, that’s for sure.”
Justin Bujold—usually lights out in penalty-kick situations—missed on his chance which would have been the deciding goal in the game.
“He’s not necessarily been on the last couple [penalty-kick opportunities], but he was our guy last year, too,” Beckett noted. “He’s got a nice heavy foot and he’s calm and cool, so that’s what you like to see in those situations.”
However, the Muskies (2-3-1) can take solace in the fact they not only scored their first goal against the top-seeded Kenora Broncos in their fifth try last week—but that they also claimed their first victory over their rivals with a 2-1 win.
“Both teams started rookies at the start of the game because [the result] didn’t matter all that much since they had already clinched first,” Muskie veteran Garnet Cornell admitted.
“But they started subbing in some starters midway through, and we did the same just to see how we could match-up with them.
“They also were missing a few players for academic reasons, so that maybe made a difference, but all-in-all we moved the ball well and I think we have a great chance at [winning] NorWOSSA based on how we played,” Cornell added.
Last year’s keeper, Matt DePiero, was back between the pipes last week in Kenora after sitting out much of the season with a foot injury—and made an immediate impact, stopping a penalty kick late in the game that would have tied the score.
“It looks like DePiero will be the guy we run with [for the finals],” Beckett noted. “He’s been working on his game and his timing now that’s he back from injury, so he should be fine.”
Despite the moral victory taken from the win over Kenora, the black-and-gold still have to go the long route today—first having to beat the Eagles in the semi-final only to match-up with the Broncos one more time in the final at 1:30 p.m. with a berth to the all-Ontarios on the line.
Cornell said some inexperience has shown through at varying times this season, and hopes the nerves will be a thing of the past when they suit up today.
“We have to work on not getting jittery in the [penalty] box,” Cornell stressed. “If they have the ball, we seem to feel like they are going to score, and that’s what cost us a few games. Just with mental mistakes in our box.
“And in their [box], we have chances to score and just aren’t burying it, so we’ve got to focus on playing better in front of our goal and theirs,” he reasoned.
“We’re excited to play at home and maybe that’ll help us.”
On a positive note, after battling injuries much of the season, the Muskies seem to be relatively healthy at the right time.
“There may be a little pull here or there, but nothing that you can’t play through,” Cornell noted. “One positive is we know we have a third-string goalie, Cody Vangel, that’s proven himself being a first-timer in net and playing well in the times he’s gotten in there.”
Beckett said today’s final has been the focus since Day 1, and all will be forgotten if the Muskies can pull off a pair of wins.
“Once you see that first place is out of reach, it’s all about peaking so you can get two wins on the last day,” he stressed.
“That’s been our goal all the way through.”
The all-Ontarios are slated June 4-6 in Hamilton.
