The St. Timothy Thunder girls soccer team’s season came to an end in the Calgary Senior High School Athletic Association (CSHSAA) playoffs after a 7-2 loss to the St. Gabriel Matadors in the Division three City Championship on Oct. 20.
The Thunder went through the season undefeated, finishing atop the league standings, then took out the John G. Diefenbaker Chiefs 5-0 in the quarterfinals on Oct. 13 and the Bowness Trojans 2-0 in the semifinals on Oct. 19.
It was a tough loss for the Thunder who have been to the City Championships the last three years and have come away with a second place finish each year. Grade 12 striker and midfielder Sage Meyers has been a part of all three of those championship games, and said this one was tough for her team.
“I had a good feeling going into the game, so it wasn’t a lack of confidence that brought us down. However, they were just a more rounded and more experienced team than us,” Meyers said.
“As a whole, we had a hard time dealing with their speed; they had some really quick forwards with good feet … we just overall were a bit inexperienced with dealing with goals against and how to come back in a really big game, having not been behind more than once throughout the entire season.
“It was really too bad to take the loss, especially as it was the last soccer game for us Grade 12s, but I am beyond proud of how hard we worked as a team to come out of the league undefeated and take silver in cities.”
Even though the final game didn’t go as planned, Meyers said the season was still a huge success.
“Saying this was a successful season would be an understatement. We had girls who had never touched a soccer ball before, become great players … that alone is success,” Meyers said.
“We bonded as a team through the hard work put in together, and sometimes you just can’t get the final win and that’s OK. We had a phenomenal season and I am so proud to have been a part of it.”
