The Cochrane Cobras didn’t allow a single goal en route to its third consecutive Rocky View Sports Association girls’ soccer title.
The Cobras defeated the George McDougall Mustangs 3-0 in the RVSA gold medal match at Airdrie’s Monklands Park, Oct. 11. Cochrane finished the season a perfect 7W-0L, while amassing 39 goals for – and zero against.
Both teams will now move on to the Zones tournament, to be held in Cochrane Oct. 14-15.
“They were pretty ecstatic,” said Cobras’ head coach Carolyn McLeod. “And the fact that they didn’t allow any goals all season just says something about how they play as a unit from the back end to front.”
“It’s not what we’d been hoping for, because it would have been fantastic to win the gold,” said Mustangs Grade 12 defender Bethany Jonker. “But silver is the best we’ve done. I have three bronze medals from this team, so a silver is like ‘it’s my Grade 12 year and we did better.’”
Cobras’ forward Nikki Cook opened the scoring in the 20th minute, when she kicked a shot over the head of Mustangs’ keeper Shelby Long from about 15 yards out. Cochrane added to its lead three minutes later, when Maddie Wheeler took advantage of a confused George Mac defence and tapped the ball into an open net.
“I was actually really nervous for this game,” said Long, a Grade 11 student. “I thought we could beat them, and know we probably can, but we played really well today and I’m proud of it. We’ll definitely try to beat them next year, just to show what we got.”
“They would have liked to win gold, absolutely, but they’re still pretty happy with their season having won silver,” said George Mac head coach Stephanie Fitzgerald. “If I had to be critical, they probably played better against Springbank (in last week’s semifinal). But we get a chance to play Cochrane in a couple days (at Zones). It won’t be for the divisional gold, but it will be pride and we’ll see how it goes.”
Cochrane, who beat George Mac 6-0 in the teams’ only other meeting this season on Sept. 13, had a goal disallowed in the 60th minute, due to a handball, but the Mustangs failed to capitalize. The Cobras then added an insurance marker in the 75th minute when Long couldn’t fully handle a shot from Wheeler and the ball trickled over the line, making the score 3-0 and ending George Mac’s aspirations for gold.
“They had an excellent season, but knew that George Mac had beefed up their team throughout the season,” McLeod said of her team. “They knew it would be a tough game. But they are a strong, cohesive unit. The energy is terrific and they have fun every time they step on the field.”
For Fitzgerald, who is in her second year of coaching the Mustangs, there is the hope of a pattern developing for next year.
“I was just thinking I’ll be very happy if we go bronze, silver, gold,” she said.
In the concurrent third place game, the Bow Valley Bobcats needed penalty kicks to claim bronze over the Springbank Phoenix 2-1. Julia Cameron, Sydney Craig and Dariel Smith all scored in the shootout for Bow Valley.
