Lucas Punkari
They don’t have the bye into the final but that doesn’t seem to matter to the Muskie boys’ soccer team heading into today’s NorWOSSA playoff action in Kenora, especially for returning Grade 12 player Brendan Cawston.
“We would have liked to have gotten that first seed, but last year we had the bye into the finals and we didn’t end up winning it in the end,” he noted.
A 3-1-2 record in regular-season play meant the Muskies had to take on the Dryden Eagles in this morning’s semi-final, with the host Broncos set to meet the winner in the championship game this afternoon for a chance to advance to the all-Ontarios next week in Windsor.
The black-and-gold wrapped up the regular season last Wednesday in Dryden, blanking the host Eagles 2-0 before later losing by that same 2-0 score to Kenora.
“We got out of the gates quickly against Dryden and things went well as we battled with them in the first half, and we eventually were able to put a ball in just before halftime,” recalled Muskie head coach Shane Beckett.
“Against Kenora, if I had a chance to watch a replay of the game, I think that we out-chanced them quite a bit,” he noted.
“Their goalie made some key stops, as did our goalie [Scott Parsons],” Beckett added. “But they were able to take advantage of their opportunities when they had to, and that was the difference.”
Jameson Shortreed and Anniss Seid both scored in the win over Dryden.
Going into today’s playoff games, the biggest thing Beckett and his coaches have been working on is with the mental aspect of the squad’s game, which is something he feels is key to the team’s success.
“Physically and system-wise, we are capable of achieving our goals, but our mental game is something we need to work on,” Beckett admitted.
“Our systems are set in stone and we’ve worked on those already, but we just have to be mentally prepared to win two games, and to out-work and out-hustle whoever it is that we end up playing,” he stressed.
So far, the players are reading that message loud and clear.
“We can’t lag back in our first game because we still need a win to go to the finals, and our opponents will be just ready as we are,” warned Grade 10 winger Lucas Koomans.
“If we go in mentally prepared, no one can beat us,” added Cawston.
“Honestly, our team is really strong all around, and our second-string players could be starters on any other team in this league,” he noted.
But before they can face Kenora for a chance to head to the all-Ontarios, the Muskies will have to go up against an Eagles’ team that has yet to beat the black-and-gold this season.
But Dryden also is getting back to full strength after missing players due to both illness and injuries.
“We have to out-pressure them on their side of the field because that enables us to have a wider field to work with,” Beckett explained.
“Their keeper is also really strong and he likes to control the box, so another thing that we will have to do is to use that to our advantage and keep that up all game long,” he added.
While the players aren’t looking too far ahead, the opportunity to head to Windsor for OFSAA is one they would be excited to have.
“I’ve had a lot of great times with this team already, and it would be even more of a great experience to head down to Windsor if we win NorWOSSA,” Koomans enthused.
“I’ve been to OFSAA before in Hamilton [2009], and it would be pretty cool to go down again, especially with these guys because I think we can really do something down there,” echoed Cawston.
