The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The Hapnot Kweens will meet #2 ranked Neepawa at the provincial soccer tournament this week being held in Stonewall. Their first game against Portage is at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, and coach Don Kirkham is so confident of victory that he is looking past that game and straight to game 2. "We are more than capable of beating Portage, with the right attitude we should see them off pretty quickly," he says. However Neepawa, who have been a powerhouse in high school soccer for several years will be a different game. He says "they are not used to losing, they have a winning attitude, a good coach and play well organized soccer." Having said that, coach Kirkham relishes the challenge, "We do not fear strong teams, we welcome the opportunity to beat them. We are a strong team, the difference is we know what we can do, they don't, we will shock them with our level of skill." At this stage in the season, fitness is paramount, you must be able to play the last five minutes as if it was the first. The attitude of the players must be to win, confidence breeds success, and these girls are confident. Having been at Provincials last year, they know what to expect, and what is required to win. With three coaching sessions a week now behind them, plus an unbeaten record, this could be the best chance in years of winning a provincial championship. The last coaching session of the season was held at phantom Lake on Tuesday, and the confidence was brimming from the players, the improvement in fitness, skill and attitude is very noticeable. "We have worked hard as a unit, we have worked on individual skills, we have worked on team patterns and plays, we are ready," he says. The games can be followed on the MHSAA website, then follow the link to the soccer championships.
