Main photo: The Huntsville High School senior girls soccer team after winning the Muskoka-Parry Sound Championships (front row from left) Amanda Steele-Coke, Riley Giles, Abby Fawcett, Randi Deline, Peyton Burmeister, Paige Smith, Jocelyn Janke, Anjali Jindal; (back from left) Leslie Cameron, Sydney Stevens, Alannah Murphy, Celeste Dupuis, Laura Laksmono, Alisha Despres, Sophie Small, Madeline Zylstra, Claire Jarvis, and Coach John Cowan (Photo: Victoria Wood)
For the first time, a Huntsville High School (HHS) girls soccer team—this year’s senior girls team—has qualified for the OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) championships.
“We have been many times a bridesmaid but never the bride with many outstanding teams prior to this year,” said Coach John Cowan.
The Hoyas senior girls had an amazing 2018 soccer season with many opportunities to develop as a team. Their opening game of the season saw Huntsville compete against Parry Sound, where they walked off the pitch with a 3-0 win.
For their second game, the Hoyas hosted Almaguin Highlands Secondary and took the victory for a second time with another 3-0 win.
In their third game, Coach Cowan said that the team was feeling angst about playing against Bracebridge Muskoka Lakes Secondary School (BMLSS), as they are known as a tough team to beat. The Lakers took the lead with Huntsville trying valiantly to secure a tying goal, but their opponents were victorious with a 2-1 win.
During a break in their regular league games, HHS was able to compete in the annual Nipissing Invitational Soccer Tournament. The girls played teams from Kapuskasing, Sault Ste. Marie and North Bay. “Throughout the tournament, the team grew stronger and became more cohesive,” said Cowan.
Huntsville hosted Gravenhurst for the final league game of the season, taking control of the game and dominating the scoresheet with a 7-0 win.
The final league scores had Bracebridge in first place with four wins and no losses, Huntsville in second place with three wins and one loss, Gravenhurst in third place with two wins and two losses, Almaguin in fourth place with one win and three losses, with Parry Sound taking up the rear with four losses.
The MPS (Muskoka Parry Sound) Championships were held on Thursday, May 24 on Huntsville turf. The tournament started with two semi-final games followed by a final for both the Junior and Senior soccer teams.
In the first senior semi-final game between BMLSS and Almaguin, the BMLSS senior girls took the win with a score of 7-0. In the second semi-final game, an improved Gravenhurst High School team pressured the Hoyas senior girls but the home team remained in the lead to win 2-0. “Riley Giles scored the opening goal for the Hoyas and Sophie Small smashed a ball into the back of the net from the corner of the 18-yard box,” said Coach Cowan.
After winning their semi-final game, the Hoyas moved on to the finals against Bracebridge. Coach Cowan explained that Huntsville was exhausted from outstanding play against Gravenhurst and had just 45 minutes to rest, recuperate and prep for the biggest game of their season.
Huntsville anticipated pressure from BMLSS and worked on control and possession of the ball. Coach Cowan provided a play-by-play of the championship game: “The Hoyas brought a different approach to the game compared to their league games. The Huntsville Hoyas had an opportunity to open with a low shot to the bottom corner of the net by Alicia Despres within 15 minutes of the opening kickoff. The score at half was 1-0 for Huntsville. In the second half the teams continued to play cat and mouse with attacking pressure but in the last eight minutes of the second half, Randi Deline took a corner kick and Paige Smith made a run from the 18-yard box in to the back post to secure a second goal. The score at the final whistle was 2-0 for Huntsville.”
Thanks to a tremendous team effort, the Huntsville Hoyas senior girls are the 2018 Muskoka Parry Sound Champions. “Keeper Abby Fawcett experienced two shut outs during the MPS Championships. Randi Deline was instrumental in shutting down any last effort attack on the Huntsville net,” said Coach Cowan. The team will move on to OFSAA 2018 from June 7-9 in Windsor. Good luck, girls!
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Well done ladies, well done coach! Let’s keep soccer strong in our town – an accessible game with so many benefits for all those who participate.
Go Hoyas!