The 1965-67 Green Bay Packers did it. So did the 1999-2001 Manchester United squad, 1996-98 Chicago Bulls and 1976-78 Montreal Canadians.
And now the Canmore Collegiate High School Crusaders boys soccer team will chase the lynchpin of the modern-day dynasty: the three-peat.
Undefeated thus far through their short and sweet season, the Crusaders clinched the South Central League title with a convincing 4-2 victory over the Strathmore Spartans on Monday (May 27). They’ll now chase their third zone banner in three years on June 5-6 in Cochrane.
The coaching staff expected this to be a rebuilding year for the club, which only had two returning starters from its 2013 championship team. But the CCHS boys have shown poise beyond their years on the pitch, much to the delight of their crew.
“We’ve got a lot of young boys on our team. This season has been brilliant,” said head coach Gary Anderson. “We are well organized, which is a strength of ours. That has been the thing we lean on the most.”
Hard work and excellent team communication has been at the heart of the team’s success, which could very well grow next week at the grueling zone championships. Anderson said the goal right now is to ensure the team doesn’t have a letdown after so much early success.
“Their compete level is excellent. We’re improving the skill level, telling the boys they won’t be Ronaldo overnight, but they can win battles for loose balls. Some have improved exponentially over where they were six weeks ago,” Anderson said.
Despite their dominance, the game against Strathmore was a battle. It was the only time the Canmore team didn’t have a lead by halftime, and their offence was bottled up for long stretches when facing game pressure.
“Strathmore is a good, well-organized team with a lot of good athletes and a handful of good soccer players,” said Anderson.
Rookie Jackson Howatt opened scoring for the Crusaders early, but Strathmore battled back quickly to tie it up, as both sides battled ferociously for control of the match.
Canmore striker Ryan Statham broke the tie after he skillfully stayed onside while cradling a long pass from the midfield. In alone, he hesitated briefly before firing a rocket off his right foot to fool the Strathmore goaltender.
Strathmore tied the match off a corner kick which eluded the defenders and goaltender Riley Millar, who was solid in net and showed his impressive goal kick skills often.
Canmore appeared to tighten up after the second goal, as their forwards had plenty of chances, but couldn’t execute close to the net. It wasn’t until Strathmore received a tough hand ball call in the box that Canmore was able to break through. Soren Kwasny scored on the ensuing penalty shot, which was a dagger for the Strathmore team. Shibouki Wells added a phenomenal header late in the game, and Canmore cruised to victory.
Anderson said his team has a high compete level, which makes up for any skill deficit they may have.
“We take this game as a learning experience. Communication is a big thing, and overall it’s been a strength for our team. When we play defence against good players, you have to track them. We had one mental lapse in a corner and that resulted in one of their goals. On offence, we have lots of opportunities, but our percentage converting them could improve. It’s always good with a test like this,” Anderson said. “At times, Strathmore had the momentum, but I’m proud of how our guys responded.”
Their big test comes next week when they could play five games in two days at the Zones championship.
“It’s one of the great lessons of sport,” said Anderson.
