Frustration and opportunity simultaneously built up, leading to the biggest moment of Madison Weber’s soccer career.

The Vincent Massey Vikings watched dozens of scoring chances slip away to misses or massive saves by Neelin Spartans keeper Beth Wilson. But Weber pounced on one good break and pounded home the only goal of a 1-0 Brandon High School Soccer League girls’ final at Massey on Thursday.

“It was definitely frustrating at the start,” Weber said. “We had the wind with us and thought maybe some balls would bounce our way but everything was bouncing in different directions and we kind of got our pace up in the second half. We found what we needed to find.

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“It felt so good.”

The top-ranked Vikings, who went 4-0 with ease in the regular season, piled up scoring chances with a stiff wind at their backs in the opening 35 minutes. Wilson made a bundle of solid stops, sweeping two balls off her goal line to keep it scoreless. Neelin’s best chance came 28 minutes in when speedster Kruz Wilson dribbled from her own half past three defenders down the left side and just missed wide right.

Mackenzie Boyes nearly put the Vikings ahead on a free kick from just outside the penalty area but flicked it over the bar.

Massey won a handful of corner kicks and made the Neelin defence work hard as Indira Egan delivered beauties from both sides.

Finally, 54 minutes in, the sophomore midfielder launched one just over Wilson’s head and the keeper knocked it down to the feet of Weber, who kicked it in with her left boot on her first touch.

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“The goalie fumbled it a couple of times beforehand so I knew if she’s got her hands up, if it’s a high ball, I’m running in there as fast as I can,” Weber said. “I started off at the far corner and I’m like ‘Indi can’t pass it to me if she can’t see me so I start running in as fast as I can.

“I see the ball, she blocks it and it comes right out to me and I kick it in with the top of my foot.”

Egan works at her delivery from the corner, both at Massey and with Westman FC, so she knows how to cause chaos in the box.

“Kicking them right to the far side, get them right in the middle,” she said. “Make sure it’s where everyone is, not too far, too close.”

The Vikings nearly doubled the lead three minutes later when they handled the ball but were awarded a penalty kick. As usual, the ball didn’t lie. Boyes’ shot sailed high to keep it 1-0.

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Neelin pressed for the equalizer late but goalkeeper Tiana Low aggressively snuffed out through balls before strikers could get to them until the final whistle.

“It was really close towards the end,” Egan said. “They had a few chances … it was a good battle between both teams. They’ve improved a lot.”

The Vikings have now won seven straight city crowns and are off to provincials in Steinbach on June 2-3, along with the Crocus Plainsmen boys, who beat the Vikings 4-2 on Wednesday.

It only gets tougher from here.

“We saw a big difference between the teams because Winnipeg, they’re more advanced,” Egan said. “This team, we’ll see how we do. I think we’ve got a good chance if we put our effort there.”

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