Anton Holm scored a pair of goals and Riley Millar was unbeatable as the CCHS Crusaders boys soccer team stung High River’s Notre Dame Collegiate 5-0 at Millenium Field in their quest for a zone championship banner on April 22.
Holm got Canmore on the board early, as the home side peppered Notre Dame with an unrelenting attack as Crusader strikers were given several good looks. Holm could have added a few more, but was denied in his hunt for the hat trick.
“It’s always great to score lots of goals. The rush in your body is indescribable. And it’s always sad when you get that many goal chances and you can’t score,” he said.
The Swedish exchange student believes CCHS has a lot of tools to become a fantastic soccer team, and he’s hopeful he can help contribute along the way.
“I think we have great chances. We have lots of great players and lots of experience. I think it’s going to be a great year,” Holm said.
Playing with an injury, co-captain Josh Lewis followed up Holm’s goals in the first half to increase the lead, while Thomas Manktelow put the game out of reach in the second half. Co-captain Brandon Butler finished off scoring with an excellent strike off a cross.
“We passed the ball really well and we controlled the whole flow of the game, which was very important,” said head coach Gary Anderson. “We’re strong in the back. I don’t recall them getting a realistic shot on our goal. You’ve got to give our defenders and goalie credit … they were very strong.”
Last season, CCHS was dominant through regular season play, but had to settle for bronze at zone championships in Cochrane. Since goal differential does play a role in the standings, Anderson said he wanted to see a better finish around the net. Defensively, the Crusaders limited Notre Dame to less than a half dozen scoring chances. Even with the lopsided score, Anderson believes the team missed several key opportunities.
“We need to work on our forward movement and particularly our finishing. The guys have to learn to be calm in front of the goal and have some poise – to pick a spot and put it in the net. That takes some time,” Anderson said. “Early in the season, that’s typical.”
The win was the Crusader’s second of the year, as the team defeated Okotoks’ Holy Trinity 3-2 on April 20 in a physical affair. Despite the win, Lewis and Ross Bailey were injured, which tested the team’s depth. Again, the offence struggled to cash in on their opportunities against Holy Trinity, which is something the team addressed in practice.
“Against Holy Trinity, 3-2 was not a fair reflection of the play,” Anderson said. “There is always room for improvement, but two wins, that’s what you play to do. We’ve got a great group of guys with good character.”
The Crusaders are on the road this week, and play again at home on May 4 against Foothills Collegiate High School.
