Adam Craig is living a soccer coach’s dream.
Having already clinched a bye into the NorWOSSA final next Wednesday in Kenora, Craig could rest easy heading into the Muskie girls’ soccer team’s final regular-season game today.

“We will have the opportunity to play some of our younger players and also experiment with some different formations in our game this week,” Craig noted.
“Having the bye is critical as we should be well-rested for the finals.”
The girls’ squad clinched that bye with a 1-0 win over Dryden and a 0-0 draw with Kenora here last Wednesday (May 14)—and now can set their sights on a potential NorWOSSA crown.
The Muskie boys’ soccer team, meanwhile, has had its share of ups and downs so far this season, but third-year head coach Shane Beckett still believes they can be at their best when it matters most.
“If we play like I know we are capable of, we will win the [NorWOSSA] championship,” Beckett said flatly. “It’s a one-day, winner-take-all event and you have to peak on that day.
“We will have to win two games in one day and beat an undefeated [Kenora] Bronco team that will be well-rested in the second game,” he noted.
The Muskie boys need look no further than results earlier this season as a sign of their potential. On May 7, they managed a 1-1 tie with Kenora, then scored an impressive 1-0 win over perennial Winnipeg powerhouse Oak Park three days later.
Regardless of the results on the field, Beckett is happy with the progress his team has shown over his tenure as coach.
“We have grown leaps and bounds,” he enthused. “The systems we have been putting in, the veterans are finally ‘getting’ it.
“We have established a professional attitude around this team and it is evident both on and off the field.”
The boys bring a less-than-stellar 3-7-1 record into their final regular-season game today in Kenora, but it should be a good tune-up that will set the tone for the NorWOSSA playoffs next Wednesday.
If they can score a victory over the Broncos today, it may instill some seeds of doubt into the league’s premier team.
“Going into our final league games, we need to focus on capitalizing on our scoring opportunities,” Beckett stressed. “We have left too many chances unfinished this season.”
One positive for the boys late in the season was the return of multi-sport athlete Mitch Cain from hockey commitments.
“Mitch is a valuable part of this team and has the potential to play American college-level soccer if he put his mind to it,” Beckett said. “We do have to share him with hockey, but when he’s on our field, he gives us 100 percent soccer.
“It is a real compliment to us that athletes with a strong future in other sports are interested in being part of our program,” Beckett added.