Westlock’s mixed U14 soccer squad has shown a series of strong performances this year, struggling only against Athabasca.
Following a four-game week, Westlock is sitting at 6-2-1 in the Tricounty Soccer Association, second only to the undefeated team from Athabasca.
Coach Kim Malech said all in all, this year’s crew has shown a significant commitment to the team and to developing their skills.
“I’m so proud of them,” she said. “They do so well and put in such great effort all the time.”
A big effort was certainly needed last week, which saw the team play four games between Thursday and Saturday.
The four-game home stand began with a 4-0 loss to Athabasca on Thursday evening, which Malech said wasn’t disappointing since it represented such a significant improvement over the last match.
Even over the course of the game the players picked up the pace, keeping the action in Athabasca’s end for the second half.
“You could tell the boys and girls on the team were a little hesitant to be aggressive, but in the second half we were in their end almost the whole time,” Malech said.
Friday’s matchup against Morinville was a lot smoother — the wide-margin win gave players the opportunity to experiment a little bit.
“I moved everyone around that game,” she said. “The kids got to try new positions, and it was a great game to be able to let them try out a position they’d like to try but don’t normally get the opportunity to.”
Malech said Saturday’s double-header against Ardrossan saw two evenly matched teams grinding it out, with a 1-1 tie and a 1-0 victory for Westlock.
The weekend’s action leaves Westlock in second place behind Athabasca, and the strong showing can be credited in no small part to the significant commitment from the players and parents, who practice or play on average four days a week.
“The kids show a lot of dedication. They always show up ready to play and ready to learn,” Malech said.
The team will get a bit of a rest with just one game this week, and will return to the home field at Westlock Elementary School on June 12.
