With the seniors off for exams, multiple injuries, and new players who have never practiced with us, the Saint Maur Cougars’ final game was limited to only one substitute and even saw the debut of 8th graders Hugo and Kuga. Put against YIS’s Junior Varsity team, the Cougars put up a fierce fight despite what the scoreline would suggest. Lack of preparation and a full bench rotation of substitutes for YIS posed many difficulties for the Cougars.

The practice preceding the game was the first time Hugo and Kuga had ever played football with the High School Cougars. While skillful, they were of course less experienced and not yet familiar with the playstyle of the high school team. Despite this, the two displayed their adaptability, and meshed in well with our traditional 4-2-3-1 formation.

In the Cougars’ previous game, Jan and Taichi were captain and vice captain respectively. Yet due to their absence, the Cougars played with Oliver as captain and Masanori as vice captain. The first half of the game concluded with a stable 0-1 deficit. The Cougars managed the ball well, but fell short to an opponent attacker who dribbled the ball past two defenders and scored in a 1v1 with the goalkeeper. In the remainder of the match, players began to lose stamina. With only one substitute, the Cougars struggled to keep up with the abundant player volume of the YIS bench. Nevertheless, the Cougars persisted until the very end and conceded two more goals, resulting in a 0-3 loss at full time. They fought hard - played smart, confidently, and adapted to unfamiliar positions coupled with frequent position changes. All in all, the Cougars exceeded expectations given the situation they had been dealt.

This brings to an end the High School Boys soccer season. Another season where the boys were challenged by the pandemic and injuries that depleted an already small squad, yet there were several noteworthy performances (the highlight being the 7-0 win over CAJ). The future bodes well with several grade 8 students expected to join the squad next year.

Full Time: Saint Maur 0 - 3 YIS