Joey Payeur
The results page on the OFSAA website was willing to cut the Muskie boys’ soccer team a break, which was more than could be said for any of their opponents last week.
Fort High came home disappointed yet again from the all-Ontario ‘AA’ championships in North Bay–getting blanked in all four of its matches to finish last among the five teams in Group ‘C.’
What was listed online as a 4-0 loss to the fifth-seeded Holy Cross Raiders (St. Catharines) in their final pool game Friday afternoon was in reality a 7-0 setback.
That means the third-ranked Muskies gave up 16 goals in their four games without scoring once, which is one less goal than they scored during last year’s 0-4 showing at OFSAA.
“I think overall this week, we played one really good game,” co-coach Chris Sinclair said about the seven-time defending NorWOSSA champs.
“The other three were very similar in the sense of slow starts,” he noted.
“Once they scored, we got down on ourselves and got away from playing how we can.
“We sat back and gave them too much time and space, and it killed us,” added Sinclair.
“But I thought each game, our second half was much better Muskie soccer.”
The Muskies were eliminated from playoff contention Friday morning following a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the top-ranked Bishop F. Marrocco/Thomas Merton Royals (Toronto).
But deep-rooted pride was at stake against Holy Cross for players Chase McGuire, Cam Gushulak, and Austin Armstrong, who, along with Sinclair as an assistant coach, were on the Muskie boys’ hockey team that was ousted from the OFSAA ‘AA’ championships here back in March by the Raiders.
The revenge factor never found any traction, though, as Holy Cross raced to a 4-0 lead by halftime.
Things got worse in the second half when the Raiders scored twice more before Muskie keeper Cole Kowalski was handed a red card and ejected from the game on what Sinclair termed one of several questionable calls throughout the game.
“They gave a free kick inside the box when [McGuire] went to kick it out and called a dangerous kick, but the kid had his head at [Chase’s] waist,” noted Sinclair.
“Cole got a red for what the ref said was elbowing their player,” he added.
“However, he was attacking the ball in his 18-yard box and got the ball,” Sinclair stressed.
“So I don’t see what the ref saw, but it is what it is.”
Aaron Bujold took over in goal and gave up the subsequent penalty kick to round out the Raiders’ scoring.
Fort High opened play Thursday morning with a 4-0 loss to the second-ranked King’s Christian Cavaliers (Oakville) in a game Sinclair said his squad was done in by a case of nerves.
Kowalski gave up a goal off a penalty kick and then on a set play off a corner kick in the first half to make it 2-0 for the Cavaliers.
Rookie keeper Jacob Albright took over to start the second half–allowing a goal off another corner kick and then a late tally.
The Muskies’ second game that afternoon against the fourth-seeded St. David Celtics (Waterloo) also ended in a 4-0 defeat, with all four goals coming in the first half.
“[Kowalski] made some really good saves but we left him hanging out to dry,” said Sinclair.
“All their goals, Cole had no chance on.”
Desperate for a victory to stay in the hunt for a quarter-final berth, the Muskie held the Royals to a scoreless draw through the first 30-minute half.
But on what Sinclair called a “weird play,” the Royals netted the lone goal of the contest early in the second half.
“I thought it went through the side of the net, but I guess not,” Sinclair remarked.
“We played a really good game and had a lot of chances toward the end trying to push for the equalizer, but couldn’t find the net,” he added.
The Muskies will lose two long-time veterans in midfielders Liam Metke and Joey Angus, who both were on “victory lap” seasons, while McGuire has chosen to attend post-secondary school rather than return for a fifth year.
But Kowalski and talented striker Cam Lidkea both reportedly are considering a “victory lap” return to the team.
As for Grade 12 midfielder Christain Audette, Sinclair said, “I’m not sure what he is planning but over the two years he’s played for me, he has improved tremendously.”
That still leaves a sizable portion of this year’s roster in position to return to try and pull off an eighth-straight NorWOSSA title in what Sinclair hopes will have a more significant impact at OFSAA next year.
“We do have a lot of starting players that can return, and I think the experience of playing at this level will only help us move forward,” he remarked.
“It helps them understand how hard you need to compete with the skill level of all these teams down here.
“The scores might say differently, however, we showed that we can compete with some of the best teams in the province,” Sinclair said
The St. Andre Bessette Bulldogs (London) dumped the Father Bressani Eagles (Woodridge) by a 5-1 score in the gold-medal game at OFSAA on Saturday afternoon.
