Lucas Punkari
After earning victories in both league play and at an exhibition tournament, it seemed as if the Muskie girls’ soccer squad had the upper hand on the Dryden Eagles heading into the NorWOSSA semi-final in Kenora last Wednesday.
But unfortunately for the black-and-gold, it was the Eagles who emerged victorious, notching a 2-1 victory to dash the Muskies’ chance of claiming a berth at the all-Ontarios in Windsor.
“We scored early and things looked to be going our way,” recalled Muskie head coach Sarah Noonan.
“But in true Dryden fashion, they capitalized on the opportunities that they had,” she noted.
“I was happy, though, with how the girls came out and played, and I really couldn’t ask for any more effort because they really left if all on the pitch,” Noonan added.
The Muskies got on the scoreboard first in the opening half when Jessica Caul slid the ball past the Eagles’ keeper to finish off a total team effort.
“That goal came together from some really nice passing plays,” Noonan said.
“It all started back at the fullback line, then the play moved up to the midfield, and all that she [Caul] had to do at the end was just tap it in.”
From that point on, however, momentum swung into the Eagles’ favour. They tied the scored just before halftime, then netted the game-winner in the second half.
“One of the goals that they scored game off of a corner kick, which led to a mad scramble in the box with legs just going everywhere, and they were able to put the ball into the net,” Noonan explained.
“Their other goal came off of one of our goal kicks, as they were able to one-time the ball straight back over the keeper’s head,” she added.
“It just wasn’t our day, it wasn’t our game,” Noonan conceded. “And you have to be at your best on the last day of the season if you want to get the job done.
“But I don’t have anything to be too upset about as a coach because I thought we played really good soccer,” she reasoned.
With their shot at a provincial berth having gone by the wayside, the Muskie girls turned their focus towards cheering on the Fort High boys to a NorWOSSA title as they edged the host Broncos 1-0 in the final.
“I think the boys really liked the fact that we were cheering them on, but I can’t take any credit for that helping them to get the victory,” Noonan remarked.
“It was an exciting game to watch, and the boys battled hard out there and they earned it on the pitch.
“We’re all happy for them and to see them go to OFSAA is pretty cool,” Noonan enthused.
Although their 1-1-4 mark in regular-season action left the Muskie girls in third place overall heading into last week’s playoffs, their level of play from the start of the campaign until it came to an end last Wednesday was a night-and-day difference.
“Our level of play steadily improved throughout the whole season,” noted Noonan, who is planning to lead the team on the sidelines again next season.
“It’s always nice, as a coach, when you have a nice group of girls to work with, and they definitely were this year.
“They were fun to be around, they worked hard to improve, and they stuck to their goals and tried to achieve them,” she stressed.
“Even though they came up a little bit short, I’m still proud of the girls and they did really well this year,” Noonan added.
While only four players from this year’s roster will graduate from the Muskie program, they’ll be leaving big holes that will need to be filled when the team reconvenes next spring.
“We don’t have a lot of players graduating, but we will be losing some high-impact players,” Noonan said.
“We will definitely miss the Roach sisters [Courtney and Sara] as they are both a huge part of our game,” she remarked.
“Sara Kellar was our most solid defender and no one could beat her on the back line, and we’re also losing Elizabeth Morrisseau, who was a first-year player for us.”
However, finding which players will fill in those gaps won’t be as tough a situation as it may seem to be as for the second-straight season an U18 team will be a part of the Borderland Soccer League this summer.
“Traditionally, not all the girls play in the summer, so having that team in the league has really helped as they play twice the number of games as they would in a high school season,” Noonan said.
“It keeps the Muskie girls playing together, and it also gives some of the Grade 8 girls and those that didn’t make the team this year a chance to play,” she noted.
“So it’s pretty awesome and the girls are really looking forward to play in that already.”
