For Head Coach Marc Mounicot and the McGill women’s soccer team, there’s nothing surprising about being in two provincial finals in the same academic year. In early November, the team’s hopes of a berth at Nationals were shattered when the Martlets lost a 2-1 decision against the top-ranked Montreal Carabins in the conference championship game. Fast forward five months, and the Martlets are once against poised to capture the Quebec crown. This time, however, they’ll be leaving their cleats at home.

Freshmen Laura Bland-Lasso and Sophia Horricks each notched goals to catapult McGill into the QSSF indoor soccer finals, with a 2-1 victory over the Sherbrooke Vert et Or on Sunday at the Stinger Dome.

While many McGill soccer fans assume that the season ends before the first snowflakes hit the field, both the Martlets and the Redmen practice and compete all year round – once the outdoor season finishes, the teams relocate to Tomlinson Fieldhouse to train for the equally competitive indoor season. Mounicot believes that the chance at an indoor championship in March provides his squad with all the motivation they need to stay in game-shape.

“We give three weeks off to the girls after the fall season, then we have a few practices during exam period just as a stress reliever,” he said. “They have to stay in shape, go to the gym, [and] lift weights. As soon as January starts we have five days of activity per week: two practices, one game on the weekend, and the weight room two times a week.”

Mounicot even implemented yoga sessions during the winter as a means of keeping his players physically and mentally fit. And the hard work the Martlets have put in since November has certainly paid off – McGill finished the regular indoor season with a 5-1-1 record, and is now 2-0 in postseason play.

“[The success] has just carried over from the fall season,” Mounicot said. “We use only first and second-year players in the winter … and we have a few second-year players who are used to playing with each other [already].”

“We set the goal for next year to be one of the two teams in Quebec to go to Nationals in the fall. So all the work is done for that. The girls are ambitious and they really want to win something this year. We came close during the fall and if we can’t win the [outdoor] final for the provincial championships, even if it’s an indoor championship, we’ll take it. [A championship now] would help us get back to a winning [track] and get back to the winning mentality that we need to have for next year.”

Fielding a young team has not put McGill at a disadvantage, either. Katherine Green, a sophomore defender from Ontario, garnered second-team all-Canada honours after the outdoor season, and was recently named MVP of the indoor league. Mounicot anticipates that the indoor season will not only help facilitate better technical skills, but also greater camaraderie among his younger players for next year. The development of Green, in particular, has been a huge source of excitement for the McGill coaching staff.

“She understands perfectly what I’m asking from her,” Mounicot said. “She’s the perfect link between the players and myself. She brings leadership, and she brings confidence to the team. She is gaining experience and is only in her second year. She’s the MVP of the indoor season. She is leading the team the way I want her to lead.”

Green was not the only Martlet to receive attention prior to the start of the indoor playoffs. Goaltender Shimone Slomowitz, forward Alexandra Morin-Boucher, midfielder Anna Smith and defenders Carolyn Bell and Julia Bahen joined Green on the QSSF first team.

“I was quite surprised to have six players on the first team,” Mounicot said. “It means that people recognize that we have some talent, and that talent needs to grow and get experience for us to do what we want to do next year.”

With a host of talented players and a dedicated coaching staff, the Martlets have the ingredients necessary to improve on last season’s outcome and make a strong run at Nationals in the fall. For now, though, the team’s attention is turned towards March 28, when McGill returns to the Stinger Dome to take on Montreal for a shot at an indoor championship.