Mitch Calvert
Earn trip to
all-Ontarios
It took a team effort, and a few favourable bounces, but the Muskie boys’ soccer team did almost the unthinkable here last Wednesday—claiming the NorWOSSA crown and a trip to the all-Ontarios in Hamilton this week with back-to-back wins over the Dryden Eagles and Kenora
Broncos.
The top-seeded Broncos looked poised to repeat as NorWOSSA champs after a dominating regular season, but those dreams were dashed at the St. Francis Sportsfields thanks to an overtime goal by Fort High senior Mitch Cain in a 1-0 win.
The Muskies advanced to the final thanks to a relatively easy 2-0 win over the Dryden Eagles in the semi-final earlier Wednesday on two early goals by Cain and Jon Sinclair. But they needed all 80 minutes of regulation time, and nearly 20 minutes of overtime, to oust the Broncos.
Kenora already had booked its travel plans to Hamilton for the all-Ontarios on June 4-6, but a give-and-go between Cain and Sinclair broke their hearts—and their pocketbooks—in extra time.
“Like we’ve been saying since Day 1, it’s who wins on the last day,” Muskie coach Shane Beckett stressed, who said he wasn’t aware of Kenora’s travel plans until after the game.
“We knew we had to peak at the right time, and what a testament to the guys for playing two games in a matter of six hours, go for 20 minutes of extra time running basically 13-14 guys, and still score late [in overtime],” Beckett lauded.
“It just shows the heart and commitment those guys have to the program,” he added. “I don’t know how many years you’d have to count back in soccer or court sports to find a situation where the semi-final winner went on to win it all.”
The black-and-gold relied heavily on rookies and sophomores in key positions—and Beckett said the effort they put forth was the difference.
“The guys across the back were huge,” he said. “[Brendan] Cawston was a forward for us last year and then we realized he had trouble putting the ball in the net, but was still a heck of an athlete.
“So over the summer, we played as an under-18 team and found out that he could play back there and he was clutch today [May 27].
“And Mason McKay, who was injured all of last year so he was basically a rookie, stepped up, as well.
“Justin Bujold hadn’t played [defence] all year but because of Jake [Witherspoon’s] red card [for stopping a potential goal with his hand the previous week] going into the Dryden game, he had to and stepped up and did well,” Beckett continued.
“It was a total team effort,” he enthused.
The Broncos had blanked the Muskies four-straight times this season before the black-and-gold finally got the monkey off their backs with a 2-1 win in their final regular-season game up in Kenora—and that momentum was enough to carry Fort High to a second-straight win over their rivals here last Wednesday.
“We’ve had a great rivalry all season, and most of the season we couldn’t find a way to put the ball in the net against these guys,” Cain said. “But it went right down to overtime and one kick made the difference.”
Cain clearly was the Muskies’ offensive star of the day with two goals, and Beckett said he really elevated his game when it mattered most.
“You could see [Wednesday], he was hungry, and you knew something was going to happen,” Beckett remarked. “He works hard offensively and you know when you need him, he’s going to come back and win a battle for the ball in the box defensively.
“He’s an athletic person, and you’d love to have a bunch more of him,” Beckett added.
The game may not have gone into overtime if the Broncos had been able to convert on some prime scoring chances down the stretch.
One crossing shot in the final minutes bounced off the inside of the post and stayed out while another clear opportunity from the goalmouth was fired high over the net.
Cawston also managed to clear a free ball from the penalty box with two Broncos in the vicinity, and Matt DePiero was there in goal to make the saves when he had to.
“There’s going to be some moments in high school soccer, but when we needed him, he was there,” Beckett said of his keeper.
The black-and-gold now take their act to Hamilton for the all-Ontarios beginning tomorrow.
“My first year with the team, we went to St. Catharines, so it’s basically the same trip,” Beckett noted. “Last year when Beaver Brae went down, they were one tie away from making the second round.”
Beckett said the team realistically can shoot for a second-round appearance.
“Our goal is always to get to OFSAA and take a look at it from there, [but] last time we were there [in 2006], we were one draw away from the second round and nobody from this region has gone to that next round.
“I think that’s a realistic goal to set, and it’ll take some good soccer to get there but I think we are capable,” Beckett reasoned. “There’s been a few guys who have been there before, so they’ll have an idea of what to expect going there and it’s nice to have that.”
Cain last went in 2006 as a freshman, and will look to draw from that experience this time around.
“I went there in Grade 9 and it’s really good competition, great soccer, and we’ll definitely learn a lot,” Cain noted.
“I think we can compete,” he stressed. “We’re just going to work hard and see how it comes out.”
