They were only a point and a half apart in the regular season and it came down to two points in the final.
The Three Lakes Avengers were in Muenster on October 5 to challenge the Cougars for the junior boys' soccer league title.
The top Muenster team finished the regular season with 13.5 points, while the Avengers collected 12. Muenster 2, which finished with 7.5 points, joined with Muenster 1 for the playoffs, explained Muenster coach Marvin Renneberg.
The combined Muenster team dressed 15 players out of the 22 available for the final, which featured 11-on-11 play.
The Cougars scored first in the game, with Logan McKay putting the ball just over the head of Avenger keeper Craig Martinka. The goal, coming in the last minute of the first half, was the result of a lot of hard work by the Muenster team.
The Cougars controlled much of the play in the first half, but that control resulted from being first to the ball in a number of kick and chase scenarios, rather than a defined passing game.
The Cougars didn't slow down in the second half, aggressively pushing the play to the Avengers.
The result was a second goal for the home team thanks to some hard work by Cole Wiesner, who pushed the ball past Avenger keeper Kyle Wehage after a lapse in the Three Lakes defence.
The Avengers came alive after the second goal, realizing their chances to capture the league title were fast slipping away. Muenster's defence and keeper Taylor Rueve worked hard to retain the lead and shut down several Avenger scoring opportunities.
The game ended with Muenster still on top of a 2-0 score to claim the league title.
"We picked it up in the second half, but we couldn't get to the net," said Avenger coach Dawn Cleveland after the game.
Muenster was the only team Three Lakes lost to in the regular season, she noted.
Renneberg expected the game to be tough, noting that the Avengers have some strong players.
Muenster had a strong set of leaders in their Grade 9s, he noted.
"They played well," he said. "And we have a number of strong players coming up."
