John Paul II Soccer teams reflect on winning silver at provincial championships

They again trailed at halftime in the final before tying the game to force overtime.

The Crusaders scored first in overtime, but Valley Christian Academy responded with two goals, including the winner on a penalty kick.

Despite the loss, head coach Cassandra Shepard said she and the team were happy with their season.

“None of them were upset about the mistakes that were made. None of them held anything against another person. They were ready to keep going. I think that brought it back,” said Shepard, describing the team’s ability to rally.

“In the end, when they weren’t disappointed in the silver, it’s because they knew every single teammate put 100 per cent in that entire game.”

The team brought together players from different sports and soccer clubs, but Shepard said their chemistry made them look like longtime teammates.

“This team is a very tight, close-knit team. They came together from all different sports. We’ve got basketball players. We do have some club soccer players. We’ve got girls that play soccer for different clubs, so they don’t always play together,” she said.

“They seem like best friends. I had a chat with them before we went into provincials and the one thing I said is that I have never coached a team that was so cohesive. There was no drama. They just were friends.”

Shepard is excited about the large group of players expected to return next season.

“Our team should look fairly similar to what it does right now. I know we have a couple of club soccer players that are in Grade 8 that might come to tryouts next year. So we might add a couple threats to the list and I think the team’s going to be very strong next year.”

After winning provincial bronze last year and silver this year, the team is aiming for gold next season.

“They believe, they feel the gold coming. I think they’ve been talking about it since Saturday. And so that’s quite a few days ago. I know they’re ready for next year.”

Senior boys team

(Image Credit: John Paul II Collegiate/Facebook)

The boys team also earned silver, falling 6-0 to Moose Jaw Central in the final.

Like the girls team, the boys reached the final with a comeback win in the semifinals.

The Crusaders trailed Regina Huda 1-0 at halftime but scored twice in the second half for a 2-1 victory.

“We were letting the boys know and a few of them spoke out on their own that we had control in the first half. We were just not able to find the back of the net, and we just had a conversation saying that we know our time’s going to come where we’re going to get a goal,” said head coach Dawson Smith.

Despite the disappointing finish, Smith said the team had a successful season.

“I think some of the boys ended up realizing that even though we lost our last game, we still had a very successful season and it’s still quite impressive to win a silver medal in any sport.”

The boys team also expects most of its players to return next season.

“I think for sure that’s going to be an advantage that we have. Just those guys kind of knowing how each other play is definitely an advantage and just kind of that team chemistry they should already have built in.”

With strong returning groups expected on both teams, the Crusaders will look to build on their silver-medal finishes next season.

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com

by Ryan Lambert

John Paul II Soccer teams reflect on winning silver at provincial championships

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