À:kweks lose finals game in a heartbreaker
The Kahnawake Survival School À:kweks soccer team battled in the elements against a strong Kuper Academy team, but they were unable to take home the victory, losing in penalty kicks. Olivier Cadotte The Eastern Door
The Kahnawake Survival School (KSS) À:kweks Juvenile girls’ soccer team was unable to repeat as Greater Montreal Athletics Association (GMAA) champion Wednesday night, losing to Kuper Academy in penalty kicks 3-2.
The game was tied 1-1 at the end of regular time and 2-2 at the end of the two 10-minute overtime periods. Kuper scored three times in penalties, while KSS only scored twice.
“I think the game went alright. I mean, it’s something to be proud of, to get through the double overtime,” said Paxton Kahentaiesen Phillips, the À:kweks’ head coach.
“I’ve lost in penalty kicks probably more times than I can count, so I know exactly how it feels. It’s pretty unfortunate, especially for my senior girls, who are doing their last outdoor 11 per side finals game.”
KSS scored the first goal of the game in the first half off of a free kick, which sailed high into the top part of the net to beat Kuper’s keeper.
Following that were long stretches of the game where both teams struggled to gain momentum.
Olivier Cadotte The Eastern Door
That includes many missed opportunities from Kuper to tie things up, including one broken play that resulted in an errant ball hitting the post before being covered by KSS goaltender Iako Hemlock. Two other times, breakaway scoring chances were stopped by whistles for infractions committed by other Kuper players.
But Kuper did not miss out on all their chances, as they tied the game late in the second half to send the game to overtime.
KSS started overtime off strong, scoring quickly in the first 10-minute overtime period to go up 2-1, generating a lot of chances throughout the period.
After some confusion at the end of the first overtime from players on whether or not they had won, Kuper had possession to start the second overtime, where they scored quickly and generated a lot on offense.
In penalties, Kuper’s first three kickers scored, and when KSS was unable to tie it with their fifth and final kicker, Kuper was declared the winner.
It was a tough way to lose a tough game played in objectively horrible weather, with the entire game played in rain and low single-digit temperatures, and the entire overtime and penalty kick portion played in the dark, with the headlights of cars parked by fans to watch the game serving as a small amount of light.
Phillips said it was challenging for the players on both sides to perform at their best in that kind of weather.
“It was really difficult. It’s not only wet and rainy, it’s also really cold, it’s really dark. The ball moves fast. My girls are wiping out. We have a lot of injuries already, so I’m sure they were getting cold and stiffening up. I don’t think that was helping with their cramping and all of that,” said Phillips.
Indeed, throughout the game, many of KSS’s players went back under the sidelines tents set up to try and keep them sheltered from the elements during play to battle through cramps or injuries.
“I don’t think the weather worked out in our favour at all. But the other team had to play in it too,” said Phillips.
The two goal scorers for KSS were Teagan Two-Axe and Konwatsienhontion Horne.
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To Phillips, it was their goaltender, Hemlock, who was able to get them as far as penalties in this game.
“Our goaltender carried our whole game this game. If it wasn’t for her, I think we would have lost by a lot more. So I’m extremely thankful for her,” said Phillips, adding that this was her first year in nets after volunteering to take on the position at the start of the year.
KSS and Kuper were the top two teams in the regular season, with KSS finishing a perfect 5-0, while Kuper finished 4-1, their only loss being against KSS by a score of 2-1.
