Cobras win first game in zone finals

The Cochrane High Cobras girls soccer team has just left the field from notching their first win of the South Central Zone Finals being hosted at the Cochrane Rangers Field.

The Cobras came from behind to beat Canmore Wolverines, 3-1.

"We were under the gun and a little cold, but you know, it was a really good game," says Cobras head coach Carolyn Mcleod. "They're (Canmore) a strong team, they've got some really fit players with a lot of skill. So we worked really hard just to find any kind of little little window to score."

She says it all came together in the second half.

"It's probably the best game we've played all season. So, it's OK if this Is us peaking at the end. This is perfect."

"They are a great bunch of girls and they really have each other's back and support each other. I think the number one thing is the quality of kids that we're working with here is just unbelievable."

The Cobras are scheduled to hit the field again this afternoon against the Holy Trinity Academy Knights in their second game of the round-robin. Saturday morning, they wrap up their round-robin play against their long-time rivals, the Springbank Phoenix.

The medal games are Saturday afternoon.

At the end of each match, a player from each team is recognized. They are selected for honouring the 3C's -- character, community, and commitment. In the first game, the Cobras' recipient was Katie Cabot, one of their captains.

"It's given to the girl that really exemplifies our values at Cochrane High of what is it to be a Cobra," Mcleod explains.

Scoring for the Cobras were Emily Barrett, Charlie Lord, and Avery Shafer.

The Cobras lining up after this morning's game.

The top two teams from Rocky View and Foothills advance to the zones, the highest level of play they'll see this season since there are no ASAA provincials.

The Rocky View season is also coming to a close next week. Last night's quarterfinals saw the George McDougall Mustangs advance with a 5-0 win over the Bow Valley Bobcats. The Bert Church Chargers beat Croxford Cavaliers, 3-0, in the other quarterfinal game.

The Cobras finished second in the regular season with a 5-1 behind the undefeated Springbank Phoenix to earn a bye from the opening round. They'll be hosting the Mustangs in the semifinals on Oct. 17. The Phoenix host the Chargers in the other game.

There are exemptions, but typically it's a battle between the Cobras and Phoenix to determine who's the best.

The Cobras were humiliated by the Phoenix, 12-1, in their regular season game. Tomorrow they get a second shot at them.

"We've been talking about this game for a while and we had to talk about what happened to us in the regular season and really unpack all of it," says Mcleod. "We've made some changes, and we had four players that weren't there in that game that are here now. So we're hoping that we can make enough of a difference to at least meet them, match them, and then battle it out."

A shout-out to all the players, coaches, and organizers for toughing out the cool, windy, and foggy conditions today.

In response to Canada's Online News Act and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) removing access to local news from their platforms, CochraneNow encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the CochraneNow app.