It’s not quite a home field advantage for the Maymont Cougars girls’ soccer team.
Even though they will be competing about a half-hour from their school, the chance to be the host team for this weekend’s SHSAA 1A provincial tournament is something the squad is looking forward to.
“The entire team is really excited about it,” Cougars head coach Ryan Nickell said. “Our boys’ team had the chance to host the provincials a couple of years ago in North Battleford, but this will be the first time that the girls have had a chance to be the host team.
“We were in the provincials a couple of years ago, so a few of the girls know what to expect. However, it’s a lot different when you’re the home team, as you have to be focused on being a good host along with having a strong performance.”
This year’s Cougars squad is a mix of youth and experience as the program enters its third season.
“We started soccer here back in 2009 and we had a mix of girls and boys on a team before we started the girls’ program,” Nickell said.
“We always try to bring up a few younger girls from our team that are in Grade 8 and 9, but this year we ended up having five girls there were in Grade 10 that are all new to the team. We also have five Grade 12 players and two Grade 11 players that have been playing soccer for a few years now, so it was a nice balance.”
The Cougars are coming off of hosting a regional tournament this past weekend at their home field.
They defeated Eagleview 9-3 in their quarter-final contest but dropped a 7-0 decision to Holy Rosary of Lloydminster in the semifinal.
Holy Rosary cruised to an 11-1 victory over Chief Little Pine in the final to solidify their spot in the provincials.
“They are a very strong team so our result against them isn’t quite indicative of how our team has been this year,” Nickell said.
“Our skill level has been improving a lot from the start of the season and they have a better understanding of the game as a whole. We’ve gotten that experience under our belts of hosting an event, albeit on a regional scale, and we’re now ready for the provincials and what it brings.”
The other six schools that will be competing at the provincials, which will take place at Centennial Park Field and at the North Battleford Comprehensive High School track and field complex, are Osler VCA, Rosthern Junior College, Lake Lenore, Middle Lake, Humboldt and Muenster.
The Cougars will take to the field at 9 a.m. for a quarter-final game against Humboldt.
“The entire field is strong from top to bottom so it should be a very good weekend,” Nickell said.
“We have two goals for the provincials. If we come away feeling good about our play on the field and if we can do a great job of being the hosts, I think that’s something everyone in the school and the community will be proud of.”
The gold medal game will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Meanwhile, Maymont and Cando will be taking part in the 1A boys’ provincial soccer finals this weekend in Middle Lake.
Maymont will face the tournament hosts in their quarter-final game Friday, while Cando will go up against Muenster.
