LAKE LENORE — Lake Lenore School teams brought home two sets of silver medals from soccer provincials last weekend.
Lake Lenore School’s senior boys squad hosted the 3A provincials and finished second. They lost 1-0 in a shootout in the finals to Cudworth. In Duck Lake, the Lancers senior girls team fell in the 3A finals, 3-1, to Osler’s Valley Christian Academy.
“Our success was because of our team’s willingness to buy into our game plan,” said Lake Lenore senior boys head coach Curtis Strueby. “The boys played an incredibly sound team game.”
Strueby expressed his appreciation to the team’s parents for their support. As well, he emphasized that the community and school staff strongly backed the provincials.
“We had a huge crowd for that final game,” Strueby said.
The coach said the provincial final was the Lake Lenore School senior boys squad’s fourth straight game to go to a shootout. Strueby said his group stayed composed in those situations.
“I can’t say enough about our keeper Joel Bauml,” the coach said. “Not only was he our keeper, I had him as a shooter in every one of them too. That’s a lot to ask and he did great.”
At provincials, Lake Lenore beat VCA, 1-0, in a shootout to advance to the finals. Earning the silver medals capped a successful season for the senior boys team. The squad went 6-0 in league play. It fell in the league finals to Cudworth, 2-1, in a shootout. In the regional playoffs, Lake Lenore beat Wynyard 1-0 in a shootout and fell to Cudworth, 2-1, in a shootout. The Cudworth squad also included student-athletes from Three Lakes School.
“I was pleased with the effort and attitude all season long. It was a very positive experience,” said Strueby, who also noted, “We have a young team so being in these incredibly tense situations during the games is certainly good for next year.”
In senior girls play, Lake Lenore was 3-0 in league play. During the regional playoffs, the Lancers shut out Rosthern Junior College, 4-0, and fell to VCA, 2-1. At provincials, Lake Lenore beat Waldheim, 4-2, to earn a championship game berth. Full details of the Lancers’ provincial experience were not available at the Journal’s deadline. Look for more about the team in an upcoming edition.
Both Lake Lenore senior soccer squads were helped by student-athletes from other communities. On the boys side, Muenster School and Annaheim players joined. Three Lakes School was in a co-op with Lake Lenore for senior girls.
“In order to have a team, we simply have to do that,” Strueby said. “Our school populations are small and to have them come together like that is what we need to do. They were so great to work with. The boys got along great and really played well together. It was a great experience. Working with others and going out of your comfort zone like all of these boys did is a very positive thing for them to have to grow as individuals. And in the end, that’s what it’s all about.”
Senior Boys Volleyball
The HCI senior boys volleyball team hosts its home tournament on Friday and Saturday. Head coach Braeden Ager has been most pleased with the progress of the team this season, especially its young players. The squad is made up mostly of Grade 10 and 11 student-athletes. In addition, most missed out on their first season of senior volleyball due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Us coaches have had to throw a lot more information at the players this year to help make up for that lost time and the boys have been able to handle it every step of the way and have
improved significantly from the start of the year ‘til today,” Ager said last week. “Most of them look like they hadn't missed a year at all.”
Last week HCI earned an important league win over Bruno. Bruno entered the match undefeated and won the first game by two points. HCI was able to win three straight to earn a 3-1 victory, “with each win being by more points than the previous game,” Ager said.
Muenster Junior Soccer Second
The Muenster School junior soccer team fell 3-2 to Wynyard in the Horizon School league finals. The game, which was for the junior boys title but featured co-ed teams, was knotted at 2-2 after regulation.
“The entire game was exciting. One of the best junior soccer games I have witnessed over the past 10 years,” Muenster School coach Dennis Gerwing said. “Wynyard scored with about two minutes to go before a shootout would determine the champion. Congratulations to them, but also to the Muenster team on a very successful season.”
Muenster School’s only losses this season were both to Wynyard in overtime. What allowed the team to be successful?
“We had a bit of everything needed for soccer: positive attitudes, speed, endurance, and ball handling skills,” Gerwing said.
In the league standings, Muenster and Wynyard finished tied for top spot. After three tie breakers, Gerwing explained, a coin toss was used to determine first and second place. Muenster School lost the toss and ended up with the second seed. Regarding the season, Gerwing said:
“I was most pleased with the effort from the students all season long, and the progression they made from the first game to the last. Some of the players were put into positions that were new to them and they played without complaint, including our goaltenders. Our team was young, with only three Grade 9 players.”
