The high school boys soccer season is coming to a close with the Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) Divisional Championships wrapping up on June 5, kicking off the Zone Championships at Bow Valley on June 6 and 7. The Cochrane High Cobras finished the season in first place with a 4-0-2 record in six games, good for 14 points heading into the playoffs. The Cobras recorded 21 goals for while only allowing 12 against, earning them a berth in the RVSA semi-finals against the fifth place W.H. Croxford Cavaliers on May 29. Croxford played Cochrane High hard in both the season opener and the semi-final, despite finishing nine points back of the league leaders. Cochrane High won the close battle 4-2, earning a spot in the league final against the second place Bert Church Chargers on June 5. The Cobras pushed hard all game, but Bert Church took the Divisional Championship by a score of 3-1. Cobras captain Thomas Robitaille said his team battled hard in the final game, they just didn't capitalize on their opportunities when they were presented. "It was a good game in my opinion. We had some great chances and just weren't able to get those lucky bounces for goals to go in," Robitaille said. "I believe that the two teams are pretty even, they just got a few more bounces than we did and were able to make less errors. All in all, it was a great way to end off Divisionals despite the results." While the loss admittedly stung the Cobras captain and his teammates, Robitaille said he was proud of his team's efforts all season. "I honestly think our team did amazing this year. It seemed like we were going to have a year of rebuilding with all of our seniors leaving from last year and replacing them with new kids who were just joining the team for the first time," Robitaille said. "We all came together and managed to have a season with zero losses until our very last game, which I think is incredible. Every player on our team deserves some credit for all the hard work they put in during both games and practices." The Cobras will now gear up for a two-day battle up at Spray Lake Sawmills Legacy Field against teams such as their rivals from Bow Valley and the Canmore Crusaders to earn the right to be called Zone Champions. "Zones start bright and early with our first game at 8 a.m., when it comes to early games we really have to be ready to play hard even though some of us might not have gotten as good of sleep as others," Robitaille said of his team's early morning game. "It's important to not take anything for granted as I'm sure it would mean a lot to the guys on the team to win Zones. Obviously, I don't want to speculate but I think our team will play the best we can and hopefully with that effort we can win some games."
