A winning combination

With three-straight NorWOSSA crowns under their belt and 10 titles in 14 years, there’s no question the Muskie girls’ soccer program has been a successful one.
Year after year, the black-and-gold turn in a successful season, regardless of how many players they have lost due to graduation.
The bottom line is the Muskie girls win.
Head coach Struchan Gilson said he’s proud of the fact that they can constantly produce winning soccer teams, noting its a combination of having good coaches and students willing to learn the sport.
“We have quality student athletes but we also have had good coaches, from Frank Maraj to Caroline Spencer . . . all the coaches who have worked with me,” enthused Gilson, who will be making his fifth OFSAA appearance when action begins here tomorrow.
“And the kids really show that they want to be there. They enjoy playing and girls soccer has been popular here,” he added.
So what’s his secret to success. Well, it’s like a chess game for Gilson. He’s always looking ahead to next year, and is players respect his decisions and his coaching style.
“Struchan always picks teams with a lot of talent, and then we have the taxi squad,” noted assistant coach Caroline Spencer. “But I think the success comes from the fact that he’s coached so many teams that the players don’t doubt themselves.”
With 26 players on his roster, Gilson does his very best to ensure players get their share of playing time. And while they gain an invaluable amount of experience in games, a lot of their learning comes on the practice field.
“I’ve always liked to play and I know what its like to sit the bench,” said Gilson. “You try to let everybody play–it’s a balancing act.”
The Muskies will definitely have to find the right balance as they battle with the top 15 high school girls’ teams in the province. And while the black-and-gold’s track record at OFSAA has not been glittering this edition (ranked 11th overall) may surprise a few people.
The black-and-gold also have the advantage of playing on their home turf (most will remember the Muskie hockey team won their last gold medal back in 1989 on home ice).
Gilson said his team’s goal is to get at least a victory in their three games in Pool ‘C’ (against 14-seeded Waterloo-Oxford, third-seeded Lakeshore Catholic, and sixth-seeded Banting Memorial).
Two wins would solidify a spot into the quarter-finals later Friday. And, as the old saying goes, anything can happen after that.
“We have a nice front end and if we can solidify our defence, then we should be OK,” said Gilson. “But this is my fifth time going to OFSAA and its been different every time. Teams change from every year.