Mitch Calvert
The Muskie soccer program features team practice uniforms with the word “one” emblazoned on the front—stressing team over individual.
That “one” word, however, stood in the way of the Muskie boys’ goal of advancing out of pool play at the OFSAA ‘AA’ showdown in Hamilton last week as the team fell one win short of pushing through to the quarter-finals.
“We had an excellent tournament, but it’s tough knowing how close we were,” Muskie coach Shane Beckett said.
The Muskies needed a win in their final round-robin game against Bishop Morrocco/Thomas Merton on Friday afternoon but fell in a 1-0 heartbreaker to end their championship hopes.
“We were right in it the whole time. They got their goal probably with only 10 or 15 [minutes] to go in the second half,” Beckett noted.
“They clammed right up [after the goal] and we moved into a 3-4-3 and pushed three guys forward, and we were all over them at the end but couldn’t find the back of the net,” he lamented.
“They [Bishop Morrocco] were a real nice team, and it’s tough, but we did so much better than I ever thought we could’ve done down there.”
A Muskie win would have set up a three-way tie between them, Bishop Morrocco, and Courtice Secondary School—with the black-and-gold advancing based on goal differential as the other two teams had tied in their only meeting.
“A win [against Bishop Morrocco] would’ve pushed us through,” Beckett stressed. “It would’ve been a three-way tie for second and the other teams had tied in their one meeting, so we would’ve had the edge, but that’s how things go.”
The Muskies had opened action Thursday morning with a scoreless tie against Courtice before tying E.S. Theriault 1-1 that afternoon on a goal by Mitch Cain.
“If you said we would’ve walked out of the first day without a loss, you would think we would be on Cloud 9, but the feeling back at residence was like we lost the championship,” Beckett admitted after Day 1.
“We were so disappointed because we knew had we won both those games, which we should’ve, we would’ve gone through.
“The game against Courtice, especially, we carried the majority of the play, and a win there would’ve made all the difference,” he noted.
The black-and-gold then lost 2-1 on Friday morning to St. Joseph’s, who claimed the first quarter-final berth out of Pool ‘B.’
Justin Bujold scored directly off a corner to account for Fort High’s lone goal.
But the second quarter-final berth out of the pool was very much up for grabs until their final loss to Bishop Morrocco.
“The two teams we lost to lost by a goal each in the quarter-finals, and the two teams they lost to went on the gold-medal game, so we were right there,” Beckett remarked.
“The difference between us and them was just knowing how to win.”
Still, Beckett said he was proud of the effort and the experience should bode well moving forward.
“It’s hard to compete against these teams, but we proved we can and we’ll keep working at it,” Beckett pledged.
Of course, the team will need some other players to step into expanded roles several seniors will be leaving behind now that they are graduating.
“We have the potential to lose seven guys, but as there is talk at the end of every season, we could have some of them back for an extra year,” Beckett noted.
“We never count on that, but we do have a ton of young guys and a few from our starting lineup who will be back, for sure.
“It’s a real fair mix [of different grades], so we’re excited for next year.”
The Muskies once again will field a team in the local men’s league this summer, with an eye towards also competing at an out-of-town tournament.
“The majority of those kids will be playing with us in the men’s league as an under-18 team,” Beckett noted. “Getting an additional 18 games playing together in the summer is huge for us.
“Last year was the first year [we fielded a team] and we didn’t go anywhere,” he added. “But we’re talking about going to the USA Cup in Minneapolis, though that’s just in early talks right now.
“Half the guys play hockey and the other half play football, so you don’t get to see them until March, but having them all summer is great,” Beckett stressed.
Governor Simcoe (SOSSA) beat Woodroffe (NCSSAA) 1-0 in penalty kicks to win the ‘AA’ provincial crown while W.C. Kennedy nipped the host Hamilton District Christian squad 5-4 for the bronze medal.
