The 2019 high-school girls’ soccer season kicked off Sept. 12, with three Airdrie teams in action.
At Monklands Park in Airdrie, the George McDougall Mustangs nearly staged an epic comeback against the Chestermere Lakers, but ultimately fell 3-2 in the Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) season opener.
“It’s disappointing to lose your season opener, but at the end of the day, to come from 3-0 down and finish the match 3-2, with us giving them a scare in the last five to 10 minutes, I think it showed a great promise for what we can do,” said Mustangs head coach Dominic Harlow-Lawrence.
The Mustangs’ goals came in the second half from Ayla Smith and Cierra Burk.
Considering many of George McDougall’s players are in Grade 9, Harlow-Lawrence said, he was proud of his team’s effort against last year’s runner-up in the RVSA. He added the performance bodes well for the rest of the season.
“Looking at who we’ve got and what we did [against Chestermere], we’re definitely going to have firepower and we’ll have momentum moving up the pitch,” he said.
The Mustangs will be keen to improve on its struggles in 2018, which saw the team finish at the bottom of the seven-team RVSA standings, without a single win and just three goals scored. The team’s 0-6-0 record meant George McDougall was the lone absentee from the RVSA playoffs.
Making matters difficult, the Mustangs will be without key players from 2018, including top scorer Sienna MacDonald, who is focusing on her track-and-field career this year. Other departures include goalkeeper/striker Hanna Khurshid and Tatiana Campos, who both graduated.
But, as is always the case in high-school sports, Harlow-Lawrence said other players will be keen to take on leadership roles, such as Burk and captain Abigail Sheil – a Grade-11 centre back and the team’s captain.
“[Sheil] really stepped up to the plate, last season,” he said. “So far, she’s one of our main defenders. She takes control of the defence and the midfield in front of her.”
With such a young roster – and without a designated or experienced goalkeeper to call upon – the Mustangs’ chances to press for a podium place in the RVSA may be out of reach this year. But Harlow-Lawrence said he firmly believes his team can improve on last season’s showing.
“This season, [our goal] is definitely to make playoffs,” he said. “We really want to challenge teams and make a name for ourselves.”
Regarding Airdrie’s other teams in the RVSA, the Bert Church Chargers started its season on the road Sept. 12 with a 5-1 loss to the Cochrane Cobras – last year’s RVSA champion. The W.H. Croxford Cavaliers enjoyed a bye in Week 1, and played its first game Sept. 17 (after press time) against the Bow Valley Bobcats.
Also taking place Sept. 17 was the first Airdrie “derby” of 2019, which featured the Mustangs and the Bert Church Chargers.
Bert Church will take on its other city rival Sept. 19, when it faces the Cavaliers at Monklands Park.
The Mustangs will also be at Monklands Park that afternoon, to play the Springbank Phoenix.
“We’re only going to go up from what we did last season and how we performed [against Chestermere],” Harlow-Lawrence said. “I think that was the tip of the iceberg, and this year will be different for us.”
All RVSA games take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. For a full schedule, visit bit.ly/2kfu7HQ
