The Charles Hays Secondary School senior girls soccer team hit the highway for games in Terrace this weekend and came close to picking up their first win of the season.
The girls played two games over the course of the weekend, the first against Queen Charlotte Secondary School of Haida Gwaii. When the final whistle blew, the Rainmakers fell by a single goal with a final score of 3-2 for the island squad.
“This Saturday had a slow start against QCSS. It is always difficult getting off a bus and starting to play,” said coach Kyla Ragan, who noted all of the girls gave it their all throughout the two games.
“I think the main obstacle for the girls was the grass field. Our team had only ever played on turf before this game and it showed in their first game. Their legs and back had to adjust to the unlevel playing field. They also needed to adjust the strength of their passes and timing for approaching the ball.”
The next game saw the Rupert squad play against Smithers Secondary School in what would prove to be a defensive clinic highlighted by strong play from the two netminders. Neither of the two teams was able to find the back of the net throughout the entirety of the match, resulting in a 0-0 tie.
“It was evident in the Smithers game that the girls had adjusted. They fought hard all through the second game,” said Ragan.
“The girls were so proud of the way they played against Smithers. Smithers is a strong team with a lot of fast players, it was good to see them using their skills.”
With the season now well underway, Ragan said there is a clear direction en-route to the zones competition.
“We need to work on a few things such as free kicks, but overall they are using space on the field, working to be first to the ball and have excellent triangle use on the field,” she said.