After two years of being second best to their cross-town rivals the third time was the charm for the Holy Trinity Academy Knights.
The Knights defeated the Foothills Falcons 4-0 in the Foothills Athletic Council (FAC) girls soccer championship Oct. 16 at Riverside Park in Okotoks, and, in doing so, exacted a measure of revenge on the team who defeated them in the title match for two consecutive years.
“It was amazingly satisfying,” said Grade 12 Knight Melissa Bellman, whose been on the wrong end of the final twice before. “Our team was really great this year and I definitely think we earned the banner.”
Bellman, a tenacious player who has lined up at almost every position for the Knights through three years on the team, wasn’t going to let an appendectomy three weeks prior to the final keep her off the pitch.
“I wasn’t actually supposed to be playing until next week,” Bellman said. “But it was my last game ever so my parents let me play.”
The Knights established themselves as the clear favourites in the final after playing to a perfect 5-0 record and soundly defeating the Falcons 7-4 in league play and 6-1 at the South Central Zones, a tournament HTA won.
“We were confident going in just because of the scores in the previous games,” Bellman said. “But I was worried we would be too confident.”
The concerns would prove immaterial in the final.
Knights striker Brooklyn Smith and midfielder Jackie Fraser each scored twice to pace HTA to the shutout victory.
Knights head coach Kris Antoniszyn said his team’s offensive depth, from strikers Smith and Nicole Degenstein to an array of talented midfielders, went a long way to winning the final.
“Because we had threats from both strikers and all areas of the midfield, it was hard for Foothills to shut down one player or one side of the field,” he said. “We were able to stay fresh, strong and consistent throughout the whole game.”
Antoniszyn said he was pleased to see his four Seniors — Bellman, Fraser, Paige McCarthy and Kaitlin MacEachern — end their high school soccer careers with the elusive league title.
“I am happy to see these girls win as they came second in the last two years,” Antoniszyn said. “It’s nice to see the determination pay off in the end.”
Antoniszyn called the 2012 Knights the most consistent and all around talented team he’s had the pleasure of coaching at the school.
“We had a deep bench and very skilled players in every position,” he said.
“It really made it hard for the opposition to focus in on one aspect of our team as we were able to count on other players to step up at any given time.”
The talent translated to an unprecedented season on the pitch for the Knights.
HTA won its first zone championship in school history on Oct. 13 and the subsequent FAC title was the Knights’ first since 2009.
Antoniszyn said the Knights did wonders to give the program momentum for next year.
“Our players have tasted victory, they know what it takes to win,” he said. “However, it’s always harder to win back-to-back. If our girls want to repeat, they will have to continue to step it up next season.”
The Falcons, winners of three of the last six FAC championships, enjoyed a successful season as well despite losing in the final.
See Soccer on page 5
Foothills posted a 4-1 record in the FAC and finished second to the Knights at the South Central Zones in Carstairs. However, the condensed schedule at season’s end, which saw the Falcons play seven games in a week, took its toll in the FAC final.
Foothills played the game with just one substitute available as an injury to Amanda Carruthers and player absences left the team fatigued and with limited options on the bench.
“The game went well until the second half,” said Falcons head coach Candace Suhai. “I really wish more girls showed up, we had seven players missing.”
The first-year coach didn’t know what to expect on the sidelines this season, but expressed pride for Foothills’ accomplishments and the technical ability of its players.
“I think they have a great program in Okotoks and whatever they’re doing they should keep doing it,” Suhai said of the development of girl’s soccer once they reach the high school level. “It makes coaching enjoyable to watch that talent and for the ones with less skill it was great to watch them improve.”
