The St. Martin de Porres Kodiaks kept it close until the final whistle.
On Oct. 19, the Kodiaks girls' soccer team lost in the Calgary Senior High School Athletics Association's (CSHSAA) Division 4 gold-medal match against the Bishop McNally Timberwolves. Competing at the Calgary Soccer Centre, the Kodiaks were shut out 2-0 by the unbeaten Timberwolves.
According to Kodiaks head coach Jessica Hamilton, St. Martin de Porres was down 1-0 for most of the second half, pushing for an equalizer right up until the final moments. But as the Kodiaks poured players forward in search of the tying goal, the Timberwolves struck an insurance goal just seconds before the referee blew the final whistle.
Hamilton said regardless of the final result, it was positive for St. Martin de Porres to stay toe-to-toe with Bishop McNally, who dominated Div. 4 and went the whole 2022 season unbeaten.
"We were the only team that came within two goals of them," she said, adding the Timberwolves had beaten all the other teams in Div. 4 by a minimum of six or seven goals.
"For us to hold them to 1-0 until the last second, I think it showed the extreme effort from our girls."
While they didn't end up claiming the division banner, the Kodiaks still enjoyed a strong 2022. The Airdrie team finished the regular season with a 5-1-0 record, their only loss coming in the opening game against the Timberwolves.
St. Martin de Porres outscored opponents 29-6 in those six regular-season matches. They then qualified for the gold-medal match with playoff victories over Father Lacombe (5-0) and John G. Diefenbaker (2-0).
Given the bulk of this year's Kodiaks roster is in Grade 10, with just two seniors, Hamilton said she's looking forward to see how the team fares next fall.
"Once again, a really strong showing from our Kodiak girls' soccer team," she said. "They continued to fight hard and work as a team and develop. I couldn't be more proud of the girls, and the season we had this year."
