Muskie girls win two of three

The Muskies’ girls soccer team kicked off its season in fine form by winning two of three exhibition games in Winnipeg over the weekend.
Rookie coaches Laura and Adam Craig were very happy with the outcome given the relatively short amount of time they’ve had to work with the squad.
“We were extremely pleased with the way the girls played this weekend,” Adam Craig said of the team’s performance in Winnipeg.
“Despite being so early in the season, the girls have already developed a sense of trust and they understand the importance of working together as a team,” he noted.
While the positive results on the scoresheet were encouraging, they weren’t the main criteria by which the weekend was being judged. Rather, the coaches were more concerned with building strong team chemistry—something Laura Craig thought the Muskies were very successful in doing.
“The team is starting to mesh together, with veterans taking on leadership roles and mentoring our rookies,” she remarked.
In no other aspect of the game was the team’s cohesion more evident than on defence. The Muskies clamped down on the opposing forwards all weekend, allowing only two goals in the three games.
Laura Craig was pleased with the effort shown by her players in the defensive end.
“Defensively we were very solid,” she said. “Our opponents had very few scoring opportunities and our goaltender, Shannon Gibson, made the saves when counted on.”
The long bus ride may have been behind the Muskies’ sluggish start in their first game against Kelvin. Fort High did not play well positionally and were dominated by their opponents in the opening half.
However, the squad regrouped during the break and came out a different team to start the second half. The Muskies spread out to make better use of the field and the adjustment resulted in several quality scoring opportunities.
Unfortunately, the black-and-gold were unable to capitalize on their chances, losing 1-0.
Between their first and second games, the Muskie coaches decided to make a minor adjustment to their strategy, switching from a 4-4-2 formation (four defenders, four midfielders, and two forwards) to a 4-3-3 one, employing four defenders, three midfielders, and three forwards.
The subtle shift in tactics paid immediate dividends as the Muskies dominated their second game against John Taylor Collegiate right from the opening whistle.
Blaire Harnett scored the opening goal for Fort High, providing the boost of confidence the largely inexperienced team was lacking. Natalie Desjardins added a goal soon after.
John Taylor scored a fortunate goal late in the game to make the final 2-1 but the game was never as close as the final score indicated.
Brimming with confidence following their first win of the season, the Muskie girls took to the pitch for their final game of the weekend against Sturgeon Creek Collegiate.
Fort High scored early and often to lead 5-0 at halftime.
With the game soundly in hand, the coaches decided to give their players some experience at different positions to finish the game. The defence moved up to forward while the forwards dropped back.
The move did not slow the Muskie scoring machine, which added three more goals in the second half en route to the 8-0 victory.
Katie McTavish led the way with a pair of goals while Paula Vangel, Kelsey Quibell, Paige Chambers, Hannah Firth, Alyssa Holliday, and Desjardins added singles.
Shannon Gibson and McTavish, who played keeper in the second half, shared the shutout.
The Muskie girls will be back in action this Friday and Saturday when they also host six teams from across the region in a tournament.