As the old saying goes, “You win some, you lose some,” and that rang true for the New Westminster senior girls’ soccer team last week.
The Hyacks started last week off strong against 2-0 Burnaby North.
Both teams were evenly matched going into the April 15 game at Mercer Stadium. North and New West won their first two games of the regular season, with North beating Burnaby Mountain 6-0 and Moscrop 5-1, and New West beating Byrne Creek 4-0 and Burnaby Mountain 6-0.
But the North and New West match was one of the closest ones this season, said Hyack’s head coach Wayne McCarthy.
“It was a pretty even game back and forth,” he said. “I didn’t really doubt that we could pull it off, but it was close, certainly, and I was relieved to take the win, for sure.”
The game was an even-paced back and forth between the two teams. Neither New West nor North could generate enough momentum to make it into their opponent’s end long enough to get a shot on net, let alone a goal. Most of the game was spent in mid-field, with the two teams sharing possession, McCarthy told The Record.
It wasn’t until the 10th minute of the second half that New West finally broke through the Vikings’ defence.
“Striker Naomi Noda slipped through the centre defenders and found the low corner of the net to give NWSS the eventual game-winning goal,” McCarthy explained.
Noda’s goal would be the one and only goal of the game, giving New West the win over Burnaby North and a 3-0 record in league play.
But last Thursday’s game against Burnaby Central would prove to be the end of New Westminster’s winning streak.
Miserable, rainy weather and the absence of Juliet Davies and Naomi Nado played key roles in the New West defeat. Despite their admirable effort, the Hyacks couldn’t get the ball into the Central net.
“Again it was a tight game back and forth. Central almost scored right off the kick off but Simran (Dhillon) made a nice save,” McCarthy said.
The two previously undefeated teams worked hard trying to gain the upper hand over one another. Celeste Bain, centre midfielder for the Hyacks, had the team’s best opportunity to score late in the first half but was blocked by Central’s keeper.
It wasn’t until the second half that Central pushed past the New West defence and slipped one past Dhillon to make it 1-0 for the home team. Central would get a second goal later on in the second half, ending the game at 2-0 for the Wildcats.
Last Thursday was the first loss of the season for the senior Hyacks.
“I don’t know how often those other teams practise but we’ve just sort of come together in the last couple of weeks,” McCarthy said.
Despite the lack of experience playing together – the majority of the Hyacks’ team is in Grade 11 and they’ve also got several Grade 10s who just started playing with the team this season – McCarthy said the girls have come together well and it will take a few more games before they really know each other’s strengths and weaknesses on the field.
“Fortunately, I have a bunch of girls who play for Royal City (soccer club),” he said. “That makes it a little easier, but then I do have other players who don’t know each other well so a little more practise time would be good.”
McCarthy said after the games last week, the team will be focusing on keeping possession of the ball, especially when it comes time to face fast-paced teams like North and Central.
“Both North and Central are quite fast. They’re very skilled teams but as long as we maintain possession of the ball, then we should be able to control the game,” he said.
The Hyacks were playing Moscrop at home on Tuesday afternoon, after Record deadlines. After that game, New West only has two games left in the regular season. BurWest playoffs get started next week on May 1.
As of Record deadlines, New Westminster and Burnaby Central were tied for first place in the BurWest senior girls’ soccer standings.
