The senior boys soccer season almost didn’t happen at Chemainus Secondary School.
Fortunately, Kathleen Ngenda stepped forward as a parent to coach the Cougars and they went immediately into action last Tuesday at home against Duncan Christian School.
“I told my son (William) if you guys need help with soccer, I’ll help,” said Ngenda.
It’s a short season so the boys have very little time to gel. They played a solid opening game in many aspects despite a 5-3 loss to DCS.
“It’s going really well,” said Ngenda, who had just enough practice time to put everything into place for the first game. “We’re enjoying the year so far.
“I truly enjoy working with them.”
It’s not easy assembling a team for many reasons, including the ferry commute necessary for the Penelakut Island boys to participate. They don’t arrive home until after 8 p.m. when there’s a soccer game.
“That makes a really long day for them,” conceded Ngenda.
The Cougars also have some exchange students on the team this year to fill out the lineup.
The game against DCS featured many highlights and could have been even closer, with one of the goals that padded the margin being questionable.
“We were happy,” said Ngenda. “Nobody walked away feeling like we hadn’t done well.”
Team captain Mark Harris scored all three goals in the second half for the Cougars.
The Cougars played a rematch at Duncan Christian School Wednesday and then head back to Duncan next week for the South Island playdowns.
