For the W.H. Croxford Cavaliers girls’ soccer team, the 2018 season was the most successful in the program’s brief history. In just its third year competing in the Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA), the Cavs qualified for the post-season and finished fourth, after losing to the Springbank Phoenix in the bronze-medal match, Oct. 25 at Monklands Park. Though Croxford’s players did not get to hang medals around their necks, there were many reasons to celebrate, according to coach Laural Kuntz. “This is our first year we’ve even won a game,” she said. “The willingness to keep going until the end – that’s what our team is about.” The Cavaliers finished the regular season in fifth place with one win, three losses and two draws. Croxford qualified for the RVSA quarter-finals Oct. 22, where it took on the Bow Valley Bobcats – a team the Cavaliers had tied 2-2 earlier in the season. The quarter-final match proved another nail-biter, as the two squads were all square after 90 minutes – meaning the game went to a penalty shootout. That tie-breaker showed how neck-and-neck the teams were, as the Cavaliers narrowly overcame Bow Valley 9-8. Kuntz said winning a penalty shootout was an “amazing” way to advance to the semi-final. “A couple of shooters I wasn’t expecting to show up got some goals,” she said. “And our goalie, Riley [DeRaaf], scored the winning one.” Croxford struggled in the RVSA semi-final against the dominant Cochrane Cobras Oct. 23, losing 8-2. But the team played much better in the bronze-medal match Oct. 25, against Springbank. “I’m proud of them. They played three games in one week, so we had a bunch of injuries,” Kuntz said. “They left it all out on the field and that’s all I can ask of them.” Grade-12 player Alejandra Gutierrez said she had mixed emotions following the Cavs’ match against Springbank, as she realized it would be the last time she took to the field wearing Cavaliers orange. “It’s weird. I love the team and I love how far we’ve made it,” she said. “I’ve been on the Croxford soccer team since it first started, and it’s crazy to see how far players from the original team have come.” Despite trailing the Phoenix 3-0, the Cavaliers finished strong and netted a consolation goal in the final seconds. Shanice Alfred managed to put her shot past Springbank’s goalkeeper just before the final whistle blew. “We had some good shots,” Gutierrez said. “Springbank played a really strong game and I’m very proud of our team.” Gutierrez said her three years spent with the team was an incredible experience. “We had fun, we won some games and lost a couple, but we learned so much about each other and about ourselves,” she said. On the other side of Monklands Park, the Cochrane Cobras came away with the RVSA championship after defeating the Chestermere Lakers 3-2. The Cobras finished the season with a perfect 8-0-0 record, scoring 46 goals and only conceding three.
