Red Knights aim for post-season berth
A tough start to the girls soccer season did little to hinder aspirations of Northern Red Knights or first-year head coach Greg Martell.
Following an appearance in the city championship quarter-finals last season, the Knights are optimistic about a return to the post-season this year.
“There is a strong chemistry between these girls,” Martell said, “and I think that the team will get better and better as the season goes on”.
These are not the same Knights from one year ago. The graduation of several grade 12 students has paved the way for an energetic and hungry group of grade 9 girls.
Martell envisions his team growing together and giving Northern a strong core for the next four years.
“We are extremely fortunate to have a great group of talented girls who get along really well and are committed to working hard to improve their game and get the most out of their abilities,” the rookie coach said.
Even in a 4-1 exhibition loss to the visiting Lawrence Park Panthers on April 23, Martell found numerous encouraging signs from his charges. He used the game to experiment with different line-ups and various positions for players and felt the team came out strong and became increasingly comfortable with one another.
“I really liked what I saw out there today,” Martell said. “[The girls] passed the ball well and hustled despite not having much time to prepare as a unit on a field of this size.”
Two individual performances stood out from the game for Northern. Forward/midfielder Pippa McDougall and goalkeeper Katya Kazantseva made it clear they would be able to contribute immediately to the Knights.
McDougall finished one of her many scoring chances by evening the game at 1-1 on a breakaway goal in the 23rd minute. Her speed and ball control were on display throughout the game, showing she would be a primary offensive threat this season.
Kazantseva, meanwhile, put forth a strong first half performance in net despite playing “one-armed”, as Martell described it. Suffering from a left shoulder injury, the 5-foot-10 keeper made several key saves to maintain a 1-1 tie before Deanna Garson took over in the second half.
Lawrence Park’s scoring came from Courtney Stock, Karina Kuel, Simone Peterson, and an own goal by Northern’s Deanna Garson.
In spite of Martell’s optimism, winding up on the losing end is no reason for celebration. The coach admits the Knights still have some work ahead of them in order to make their post-season hopes a reality.
“There are still kinks that need to be worked out,” he said. “I’d like to see the girls become more aggressive in charging the ball on defence and fighting for offensive possession”.
