Muskie boys roll at home tournament

The Muskie boys’ soccer team got off to a promising start in regular-season play by going undefeated at a tournament here on Friday and Saturday.
Muskie head coach Shane Beckett was pleased with his team’s performance en route to three wins and a draw, saying he was particularly encouraged by the way the players are grasping a new system implemented by the coaches this season.
“I thought that our ball movement and our aggression in the midfield was a lot better,” Beckett said. “I think they’re starting to figure out the five midfielder system a little bit better.
“I thought that was definitely an improvement.”
One of the reasons for the Muskies’ early-season success has been the play of their rookies. Several first-year players have been asked to fill significant roles on the team and, so far, they have met or exceeded the expectations of the coaching staff.
“You can see the confidence of the younger players quickly improving,” Beckett replied when asked about the rookies.
Co-captain Tyson Quibell, a third-year Muskie, agreed with his coach’s analysis.
He said the black-and-gold always have possessed the skill needed to compete, however, they’ve lacked chemistry early in the season due to all the new faces in the lineup.
“Chemistry-wise, I think we’ve improved a lot,” Quibell remarked. “We were pretty good on the field but as a team we weren’t exactly together.
“Over time now, we’ve really gotten to know each a lot more and we’re with it mentally as well as with our feet,” he added.
While he’s happy with the improvement the Muskies have shown both on the field and in the locker-room, Quibell knows the team has a long way to go if they’re to realize their goal of winning NorWOSSA gold and earning a trip to the all-Ontarios.
One area of concern early on has been the Muskies’ inability to score goals. Fort High has had numerous chances to fill the net but, as yet, have been unable capitalize with any sort of consistency.
Quibell believes the solution to the team’s goal-scoring woes is simple.
“A lot of the time we want to go for the big play when we could just keep it simple,” he said.
The Muskies opened the tournament Friday morning against the Dryden Eagles. They came out strong and dominated the opening half, but were unable score.
The Eagles stormed back early in the second half, taking the majority of the play to the Muskies.
The visitors then grabbed the lead on a set play corner kick when Muskie keeper Thomas Edwards, playing in his first-ever game in goal, mishandled the ball, allowing it to get behind him for a weak goal.
But Dryden’s goal seemed to re-energize the black-and-gold. Rookie Shane Ikert led the charge—narrowly missing the tying goal on several occasions.
The breakthrough Fort High needed came late in the half as Scott Gurski broke through and tied the game at 1-1.
Neither team was able to break the deadlock in the remaining minutes of regulation time and the game ended in a draw.
Next up for the Muskies later Friday were the Kenora Broncos.
Both teams fought hard in the first half and each had several quality chances to score. Fort High carried a slight advantage in terms of possession but as the whistle sounded to mark halftime, neither had managed a goal.
It appeared the Muskies might be heading for another draw as the second half progressed but Quibell scored late to put Fort High ahead.
The Muskies then frustrated the Broncos with their staunch defence late in the game to secure the 1-0 victory.
The black-and-gold then faced Kenora in a re-match to kick off the second day of tournament play. Both teams again started slowly but as the half progressed, Fort High slowly took control.
It was Gurski who put the Muskies on the scoreboard, notching his second of the tournament and putting Fort High up 1-0.
In the second half, more solid defence frustrated the Broncos time and again. They never came close to scoring the equalizer and Fort High cruised to the one-goal victory.
Fort High then played the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints (Kenora) in the final game of the tournament.
The Saints got off to a solid start, challenging the Muskies early in the first half. However, Fort High asserted control of the midfield shortly thereafter and began moving the ball more efficiently, resulting in goals by Gurski and Quibell.
With a comfortable halftime lead, Beckett chose to send out his younger players in the second half. And the rookies did not disappoint with their play, gaining confidence as the half progressed.
The Saints scored to cut the lead but Quibell added an insurance goal to seal the 3-1 victory.
The Muskies travel to Dryden this coming weekend to face both the Eagles and Broncos as Fort High looks to solidify its hold atop the ‘AA’ division heading into the NorWOSSA championship.