Consistency will be the name of the game for the MSS senior girls’ soccer team going forward.
The Panthers squad put their mettle to the test over the weekend at their annual Test of Mettle soccer tournament.
Despite two wins and a few close calls — including a narrow loss in a shootout — the Panthers came up short in their 12-team tournament.
The action got underway Friday with the Panthers’ shootout loss to Clearwater.
Their next game against Lakes District was a nail-biter, but the home team lost 3-2.
However, by their third game on Friday against Cedars Christian from Prince George, it was back on the upswing for the Panthers with a win.
MSS and Hope went toe-to-toe for most of the game, but the visiting team eventually won out 2-0 over their hosts. Emily Wessel/Herald
Saturday morning kicked off with a tense game against Hope, in which a defensive MSS squad lost 2-0.
In their final game of the tournament before the championship matches, MSS took down Princeton 1-0, but it wasn’t enough to score them a spot in the final games.
Coach Mo Ollek said he was pleased with the effort from his team, but would like to see it more consistent.
“At times, they were awesome, at times they were less awesome,” Ollek said.
It was the undefeated Ashcroft girls who came out on top in the 12-team tournament, followed by the squads from Hope and Fort St. John.
“We didn’t play a single team we couldn’t beat,” Ollek said, “and they knew it, too.”
With players ranging from Grade 8 to a single Grade 12, Ollek and fellow coach Guy Dugas said building the girls’ confidence will take them a long way.
The team was likely hampered by having nine of its players away in Costa Rica just before the tournament kicked off, and another player away in Ottawa.
“It’s a young team,” Dugas said. “We need to learn from it and move forward, and hopefully we’ll finish the season strong.”
Coaches looking for confidence
In regular season play, the coaches said they’re optimistic about MSS’s chances of finishing the season strong and coming in third or fourth in the high school league.
In a regular game against Valleyview on April 23, the girls fought hard but were no match for the bigger, more experienced visiting squad.
MSS Panther Sabrina Samra was outnumbered by her Valleyview opponents at their April 23 game, but put up a fight against the visiting team. Emily Wessel/Herald
The formidable Valleyview players had a two-goal lead on the Panthers 15 minutes into the game. By the 40-minute mark, that lead grew to 5-0.
The MSS girls spent most of the game in their own end against big and skilled visitors.
Going into another regular season game on Monday against a mature squad from Sa-Hali in Kamloops, the coaches said they would be looking for more confidence from their team.
“They need to control the ball and feel that they’re in control, and until that’s done, it’s going to be kick and run,” Dugas said.
“You can’t win a game with kick and run,” Ollek added.
The results of Monday’s game were not available by press time.
