A fierce battle between the Cochrane High School Cobras and the Bow Valley High Bobcats boys’ soccer teams took place on May 6 at Bow Valley High School for the first match between the two Cochrane teams in the Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) this season.
While both teams played to the best of their abilities, the Cobras secured a 2-1 win over the Bobcats.
Though it was not the outcome she hoped for her team, head coach for the Bobcats, Beth Schneberger, said both teams played very similarly, and added it was a very competitive match that was fun to watch.
“It’s always really awesome to see some Cochrane rivalry go down, especially at our home turf,” Scheberger said. “It was a really fun game to watch, a really fun game to coach, and not quite the outcome we wanted, but it was a really good game.”
This year, Schneberger said the Bobcats boys’ soccer team is eager to compete and she is looking forward to how they perform this season. As of writing, the team has produced a 2-1-0 record, having beaten the Chestermere Lakers and W.H. Croxford Cavaliers in their other two games thus far.
“They’re just a really awesome group of boys to get to coach this year, so I think it’ll be a lot of fun,” she said.
Head coach for the Cobras, Carolyn McLeod, said the team feels really positive about securing a victory in what was their first match of the season. That's especially considering the team didn't produce many wins last year.
“We had kind of a rough season last year,” McLeod said. “We fell on the wrong side of the game sheet a lot of the time, so it was an uphill battle the whole time.”
McLeod said this year with new faces and the introduction of new, keen captains leading the Cobras on the field, she said it helped add to the excitement for the new season. So far, the Cobras are unbeaten after two matches, having also beaten the George McDougall Mustangs by a heavy 9-0 score line on May 9.
The game against Bow Valley was much closer, McLeod noted.
“It was a tough game though, from beginning to end,” she said. “And so [the team] were pretty happy with the win, especially between cross-town rivals.”
McLeod said although the Cobras had difficulty finding the back of the net last season, their emphatic victory over the Mustangs this week could mean the start of a rejuvenated Cobras team.
“They get fired up, get ready to go, and they support each other on and off the pitch, and there’s really good collaboration and communication from all the boys in Grade 9 to 12,” she said. “It’s kind of cool to see how they all rally around each other and I think that says a lot about our captains.
“They’re two Grade 12 boys, they’re amazing kids, they believe in the team, they love being Cobras, and get pretty excited about our other games.”
McLeod added that the Bobcats boys’ soccer team is looking strong this year as well. Although her former student is now the head coach, at the end of the day, she said Cobras-vs.-Bobcats is a friendly rivalry between the two schools and a positive experience for all players.
“I was impressed with the strength they have,” McLeod said. “They’re going to do well this season and they seem like they’re well organized.
“We struggled to keep on top of that game, and they were coming at us with everything we had, so I think they’re going to do well this season too.”
The Bobcats will look to regroup when they take on the George McDougall Mustangs at their home field on May 11. The Cobras will face off against Chestermere the same day at Rangers Field.
RVSA high-school soccer games typically get underway at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For a schedule, see rvsa.rockyview.ab.ca/high-school-sports/soccer_boys
