Vikings set for soccer provincials

Chelsey Hoad is ready to finally play free on the biggest weekend of the season.

As the Vincent Massey Vikings co-captain was pushing towards a 10th straight city soccer title, her future in the sport was uncertain.

But after a strong showing at a Brandon University ID camp a few weeks ago, Hoad and her twin sister Tessa are a few formalities away from officially joining the Bobcats.

Now, her sole focus is on the Oak Park Raiders and the opening round of provincials in Steinbach today at 11:30 a.m.

“That was a really big thing. I was really stressing about BU soccer, knowing the ID camps were coming up,” Hoad said.

“It feels so fast. Everything’s the ‘last.’ The last Grade Wars, last provincials for track and soccer, and we had skip day (Wednesday) too. It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s actually happening.’”

The winner of the quarterfinal faces the winner of Northlands Parkway and Kelvin at 2:30 p.m.

The other side of the draw features Steinbach against Leo-Remillard and Winnipeg’s Vincent Massey taking on Miles Macdonell.

The final is on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Vikings started their season with a third-place finish in their division at the Maples Collegiate pre-season tournament, earning wins over Maples and Steinbach while dropping two close games and drawing one 0-0.

The event kept two pools of five teams separate, but Oak Park only conceded two goals in five games and won its division.

Massey went 3-0-1 in league play, with its only points dropped coming in a 1-1 draw against Crocus Plains.

The Vikings came from behind to win their 10th straight city final 3-2 over the Plainsmen.

Of course, today’s game is the toughest one yet.

“I’m pretty excited. I feel like we have a very strong team,” said senior centre back Jordan Woloski. “I feel like we’ve bonded together closely over the short amount of games we’ve had and I feel like we’re going to do great this year.

“We have a lot of skill, a lot of speed.”

The Vikings have one of the fastest lineups, with the Hoads up front and Woloski and sophomore Soleil Kaktins at the back. But Woloski pointed out they have to do more than launch long balls and hope to win via breakaways.

“It’s knowing you have girls ahead and you’re able to give the ball to them. As for developing plays, it’s just trust,” Woloski said. “I trust the girls ahead.”

VIKING BOYS FACE HOSTS

The Massey boys face the host Steinbach Sabres today at 11:30 a.m., while the Daniel McIntyre Maroons play the Louis-Riel Voyageurs.

The winners meet at 2:30 p.m. in the semifinals.

The other half of the draw features the Springs Christian Eagles and West Kildonan Wolverines, along with the Vincent Massey Trojans and Pembina Trails Trail Hawks.

The final is on Saturday at 12:15 p.m.

“I’m pumped to be able to go to one more tournament, and hopefully we can win it, but we’ll see. There are a few hard teams in the way,” said senior midfielder Calen Sass.

“It’s just a great group this year.”

The high school season is always short, especially with just four league games.

Sass felt the Maples tournament was massive for his group to connect, as they played five matches that weekend alone.

The Vikings went 1-2 in the group stage, with a 5-4 win over the Fort Richmond Centurions. They finished third in their group and headed to the ninth-place bracket, thumping St. Paul’s 6-2 before falling 5-4 to Pembina Trails.

Massey piled up 18 goals in five games, conceding 19.

“Our defence was a little shaky but other than the defence, we had to work a little more together,” Sass said.

“Once we learned that passing and our connections through passes were better, we went through the regular season undefeated.”

The Vikings also won the first-annual Spartan Invitational with four straight victories.

In the regular season, they beat the Plainsmen 2-1 and 7-0, and swept the Neelin Spartans 3-0 and 4-0 to secure first place.

Massey edged Crocus 3-2 in the city final to earn the trip back to provincials, where Sass knows it only gets tougher.

He is taking responsibility for his team’s performance, noting how crucial it is for him and Jedaiah Matendo to control the midfield and let Timi Fadare lead the team’s high-octane attack.

“When our midfield doesn’t have any possession, that’s when we don’t play the best. Having pressure there with Jedaiah helps keep it calm in the midfield,” Sass said, adding that’s been working well lately.

“It feels much better this year because we’ve gotten to play way more games.”

• • •

The Vikings softball team is in Pilot Mound and Crystal City for provincials starting today.

Massey faces Mikisew at 10:30 a.m., and has a rematch of last year’s provincial final against the St-Joachim/Real-Berard co-op team at 3 p.m.

The host Pilot Mound/Nellie McClung co-op is in a pool with Hamiota and Stonewall, while the Hartney/Deloraine/Waskada co-op and Neepawa Tigers are also in the 12-team field.

The winner of each pool earns a bye to the quarterfinals on Saturday, while the other two teams head to play-in games this evening.

The final is in Crystal City at 3:15 p.m.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com