Black shines for Marauders
Kylie Black is savouring her final days with the A.N. Myer Marauders.
The 18-year-old, Grade 12 student will see her competitive soccer career come to a conclusion at the end of this season and would love nothing more than to go out on top.
“I’m hoping to finish off with a win,” Black said Tuesday after scoring three goals to pace Myer past the visiting Greater Fort Erie Secondary School Gryphons 8-0 in the Niagara Region High School Athletic Association Zone 3 varsity girls championship final.
“I’m excited to move on but I’m going to miss these girls for sure.”
Black scored the first goal of the game for the Marauders just seconds into the contest before adding two more later.
“It feels pretty good,” she smiled.
The Marauders dominated from start to finish and Black said the plan was to move the ball around as much as possible.
“We wanted to share the ball with a couple of the girls and we did a great job,” the Niagara-on-the-Lake resident said. “(We wanted to) have the girls play with heart, play with our Myer nation spirit.”
Myer coach Joanne Thomson said the offence runs through Black.
“She’s a great offensive player. She can play centre-mid and she can strike. She’s got great ball control and they look for her,” Thomson said.
Thomson liked the way the Marauders handled themselves in such a lopsided affair.
“With us, it’s always about keeping control. Good, crisp passes and making sure we use the whole team and the whole field and if it’s a good shot, take the shot,” she said.
Thomson was also pleased to empty her bench and get everyone some playing time.
“Absolutely fantastic. We have a big bench. We have 22 because we’re losing 10 Grade 12s next year so we kept some extra Grade 9s and 10s. Getting everybody in in a zone final is fantastic. It makes me so happy.”
The Marauders went 5-1 in the regular season, won the Brock Tournament at the beginning of the year and placed second in the Saint Paul Tournament.
Myer now advance to the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association (SOSSA) AAA playoffs Thursday, May 30 at Blessed Trinity where they will square off versus the winner of Eden/West Niagara which takes place this Thursday.
Thomson is cautiously optimistic about her team’s capabilities at SOSSA.
“There’s always a chance. It’s a nice, strong team. If we play the game we can play and put it in the net, then absolutely we have a chance,” she said.
Helena Beaver, Ava Walker, Maia Walker, Siera Warkentin and Ainslee Ryall also scored for Myer.
Dear reader. If you liked this story or one of the 6,000 other stories found on our website, please consider hitting the Support Us button on the right-hand side of our home page and making a PayPal contribution to our website. Your support would be much appreciated. If you are a business owner, please consider advertising on our site. Our rates are reasonable and we provide plenty of exposure for your business. Contact bpotrecz@outlook.com for more information.
