The two teams were closely matched all season and the final was no exception.
The Three Lakes Avengers hosted the Muenster Cougars in a Horizon School Division Junior Girls' Soccer League final on October 4. The teams finished first and second in the standings during the regular season, with the Avengers collecting 13 points to the Cougars nine.
The final promised to be exciting, with the teams so evenly matched, and it came down to one goal.
Muenster scored first in the game, when the Avengers failed to clear the ball and Jade Tebbe managed to put a loose ball into the net.
Muenster scored again in the first half, but had the goal disallowed on an offside call.
The Cougars controlled much of the play in the first half, beating the Avengers to the ball and getting more shots on net.
Three Lakes did have a few opportunities to score, but the Muenster defence shut most of those down before a shot could find its way to the net.
The second half saw the Avengers pick up their game, coming out strong and getting a few good scoring chances in the first few minutes. Only a key save by Cougar keeper Emilie Glaser kept Muenster's 1-0 lead intact.
The Avengers pushed hard, forcing the Cougars to rely heavily on their defence, but couldn't get the ball in the net.
The Avengers finally got a break in the dying minutes of the game, scoring a goal, but their joy was short-lived as it was disallowed on an offside call.
The Avengers had more opportunities, taking three corner kicks in a row, but couldn't capitalize, leaving Muenster with a 1-0 victory.
After it was over, Muenster coach Maegan Clark said the game could have gone either way.
"It was a great game," she said. "Our keeper, Emilie Glaser, made some fantastic saves for us."
This was Glaser's first year as a keeper with the team, so it looks like the Grade 8 student has a bright future, she added.
The juniors had 15 players between Grades 7 and 9 this year, Clark said.
"The girls improved all year," she stated. "We had four really good leaders in our Grade 9s."
Avenger coach Trevor Otsig echoed Clark's statement about the game, agreeing that it could have gone either way.
"It was a good game," he said. "We usually score more goals, but Muenster has a really good team."
The Avengers had 12 players between Grades 6 and 9 this year, providing a solid base for the future, Otsig said.
"Our Grade 8 group is pretty strong," he said.
The teams are now done for the season, with many of the players moving on to other sports.
