The tradition of excellence continues for Mavericks 09 in the St. Albert Women’s Soccer League.
The third division one playoff cup in a row and fourth in five years was celebrated Sunday at Forest Park field.
The 6-0 whitewashing of the Morinville Ladies was also the 17th win in 18 league, playoff and provincial matches for the Mavericks.
“It’s exciting what we’ve done this year,” said Lindsey Hornung of the Mavericks.
The only loss was the Alberta Soccer Association Tier III final, 2-1 to the KC Trojans Sept. 5 at the ESA Complex.
“Last year in Calgary we got fourth and it wasn’t great so for us to get silver we were really happy,” Hornung said of the team’s third provincial medal, following the historic Tier III gold in 2014 and Tier IV bronze in 2012. “Our job was to play as well as we could and we did. We dominated for most of the tournament, it was just that last game.
“We do want the gold medal of course. We strive for it every year.”
At provincials, the Mavericks out-scored teams 12-3 in three wins before the Trojans tallied two unanswered goals in the second half to win the final.
The No. 1 Edmonton District Soccer Association rep in Tier III was the top Tier 4 Atterbury division team at 14-0 (80 GF/1 GA) in league play.
“We worked really hard in that one. We played really well,” Hornung said of the team’s performance against the younger Trojans. “It was an age difference I think more than anything.”
The setback also snapped a 14-game winning streak that started in last year’s SAWSL playoffs after the Mavericks dropped their last two games at provincials in Calgary, ending a run of 35 consecutive wins since losing the 2013 SAWSL division one final to SA Force.
Hornung, 36, credits the leadership of head coach Shane Moore for the Mavericks’ success.
“Shane is constantly supportive in a positive way. He tells us how to fix things really kindly. He knows us so well. He knows how we play and he positions us really well and that really is what makes the difference for us,” said the versatile striker/midfielder/defensive back. “In our last game he switched our regular formation and it changed things for us. We were tied 2-2 and he moved a high midfielder and it made all the difference for us and we came back and dominated (to win the semifinal 8-3 over the Blaze).
The players on the pitch are no slouches either.
“We’re a good group of girls. We get along really well and we’re skilled too,” said Hornung, who tied teammate Jen Bruinsma for the division one Golden Boot scoring title with nine goals apiece in the regular season.
Sunday’s final marked the fourth time in five years the Mavericks (14-0, 76 GF/5 GA) and Morinville (7-5-2, 36 GF/28 GA) competed for division one honours.
Christina Cleland paced the attack with a pair of clever runs through traffic for goals.
Chelsey Marques and Bruinsma also potted their team-leading third playoff goals. Marques tallied with three minutes left in the first half to make it 2-0 and Bruinsma closed out the scoring.
Alison Johannesen off a free kick and Meghan Tauber also found the back of the net in the second half.
Mavericks goalkeeper Sue Forest-Trainor came up with back-to-back stops three minutes after the break to keep Morinville off the scoresheet. The shutout was the team’s 12th in 18 matches overall this season.
“We had really good composure today. We also made so many nice passes. It all started in the back and we worked our way up to the front and scored,” Hornung said.
The Mavericks also boast of one the largest cheering sections in SAWSL.
“What we love about St. Albert is a lot of us grew up here and so we’re comfortable here,” said Hornung, a Paul Kane High School alumna. “This is a place where we can come with our families and they can cheer us on and so that’s kind of why St. Albert is a good fit for us.”
CORNER KICKS: The Devils knocked off the undefeated Cosmos FC 6-0 in Sunday’s division two final.
The Devils ended the season at 13-4 (69 GF/38 GA) and the Cosmos finished 15-1 (106 GF/31 GA).
Last year the Cosmos were division one semifinalists and the Blaze repeated as division two champions.
