Even though the Muskie girls’ soccer team had dominated their opposition for the entire season, they knew they would have a tough game against the Beaver Brae Broncos in the NorWOSSA final here Saturday afternoon.
Add to the fact it was these same Broncos who upset the black-and-gold in the semi-finals in each of the past two seasons, and it became quite clear this year’s final would be a battle between two very good soccer teams.
The difference would be which one gained the momentum by scoring first.
Well, the Muskies did just that when Laureen Cousineau banged home a rebound after the Bronco keeper mishandled a shot off a direct kick 10 minutes into the game.
She added her second goal of the game–and 23rd on the season–minutes later on a beautiful header off a corner kick to give the home team a commanding 2-0 lead.
Then the defence was solid the rest of the way, keeping Beaver Brae off the scoreboard until the final minute when the Broncos got one past Angie Shute on a penalty kick.
Minutes earlier, Shute made an impressive save when a Bronco was allowed to move in alone in the middle and let go a shot from about 15 yards out.
Head coach Struchan Gilson said that first goal was critical to the outcome of the game.
“What it does is put pressure on them and makes them come to us,” an elated Gilson said after the game.
“I’m quite pleased,” he added. “I knew from day one that we had a strong team with a lot of depth. But it was important for us to get that first goal.
Gilson said Cousineau has such great control, is an excellent shooter, and has the ability to come out of a scrum and put her head on a ball. But he also noted he was pleased with his whole team’s effort.
“You have to remember as good as a scorer she is, you still have to have people who get her the ball,” he stressed.
“We played a very intense game and we all had the same idea on the field,” echoed fourth-year player Heather Evans. “This team has such good chemistry on and off the field.”
Still, it was Cousineau who provided the offensive spark for the black-and-gold all weekend–scoring 10 games in just four games.
The Muskies opened action Friday morning with a 7-0 drubbing of Rainy River, led by a two-goal performance by Cousineau and singles by Caylee Brow, Hannah Carter, Trista Barker, Sarah Noonan, and Karma Chudobiak.
The black-and-gold then clinched first place in their pool with a 4-0 shutout over Red Lake later Friday. Cousineau again added a pair while Carter and Sarah Vanderplaats netted singles.
But the most dominating offensive performance all weekend came in the Muskies’ 8-0 whitewash over Sioux Lookout in the semi-finals Saturday afternoon.
Cousineau opened the game with a natural hat trick before the game was 15 minutes old. Brow scored the fourth Muskie goal just before the half.
Cousineau, Susie Grynol, Christin Thomson, and Barker added second-half goals to seal the victory–and a berth in the final against Beaver Brae.
The Broncos, who finished atop Pool ‘B’, opened play with a 1-0 shutout over Thomas Aquinas (Kenora), a 6-0 rout of Sioux Lookout, and a 2-0 win over Dryden.
They reached the final with a 2-1 victory over Red Lake in the other semi-final.
The Muskies now host Manitouwadge and the Thunder Bay champion St. Ignatius Falcons in the NWOSSAA showdown Saturday.
It will be a one-day, round-robin affair. If teams are tied, the winner will be decided by the goals for and against differential. If that doesn’t break the deadlock, it will come down to most goals scored and then least goals allowed.
The winner advances to the all-Ontarios next month.