Shumka’s spirit undiminished despite ‘facing’ the facts

St. Mary’s defender Addison Wills closes in on East Elgin’s Madison Knelsen. (Jeff Tribe photo)

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

Gracie Shumka was having to face the facts.

As the large bruise on the right side of her visage was beginning to fade to a mottled orange, she might have picked up a fresh matching one on the left.

“Quit talking about my face!” she exclaimed in a good-natured aside to Woodstock St. Mary’s Warriors teammates during the second half of a 9-1 TVRA South East Varsity Girls’ Tier I soccer loss to the Aylmer East Elgin Eagles Thursday, April 17th at London’s City Wide Field.

Moments earlier, a hard East Elgin clearing shot had struck her hard enough for the referee to approach and check to see if she was okay, Shumka shrugging it off as if it were business as usual.

Which to that point of the TVRA South East season, it had been for the Warriors forward.

“Other side this time,” she explained.

Two days earlier, Shumka had picked up her first badge of courage, catching an elbow during a loss to the Woodstock CI Red Devils.

“In the hail, in the rain.”

Shumka had also headed home her team’s first goal of the season, not so much a highlight reel classic off a corner cross, more so ‘Plan B’ after tripping while going after a rebound.

“I fell and my head hit it in,” Shumka admitted with a smile.

The Warriors may have figuratively taken it on the chin during their first two outings, but what Shumka described as a double-digit loss to the Red Devils, brought into more manageable territory during their second game. But they hadn’t let the scores diminish their enthusiasm or level of play, battling with their heads held high - bruised or not - to the final trio of whistles.

“We did way better,” said Warriors goalie Fallyn McClutchie, a goaltending rookie experiencing her second baptism of fire.

“And our spirits are high,” added Lauren Warnock, who scored the St. Mary’s goal Thursday.

Warriors coach Brendan Tharby remains impressed with the effort put forth from a comparatively inexperienced squad featuring only five returning players from the 2024 season.

McClutchie had made some ‘great saves’ he credited, while powered by a breakfast of cottage cheese, chia seeds, hemp hearts and her grandma Kathy Shumka’s homemade strawberry jam, ‘Warriors workhorse’ Gracie’s never-say-die attitude provided a metaphor for the Warriors continued improvement.

“That’s what it’s about,” he concluded. “Building the game, building confidence and building team.”

“Heck yeah,” Shumka agreed, looking forward to better days ahead. “Honestly,” she smiled, “we can only go up from here.”

TVRA South East Varsity Girls Soccer

Thursday, April 17

Tier I

East Elgin 9, St. Mary’s 1

St. Thomas St. Joe’s 4, Woodstock CI 2

Tuesday, April 15

WCI 10, St. Mary’s 1

WCI Goals - Wilson 3, Gagnon 2, Smith 2, Lambert, McDonald, Knopf.

Monday, April 14

Tier II

Woodstock Huron Park 4, Woodstock College Avenue 0

Ingersoll DCI 1, Tillsonburg Glendale 1

TVRA South East Varsity Boys Soccer

Tuesday, April 15

Ingersoll DCI 2, Tillsonburg Glendale 0

Woodstock CI 2, St. Mary’s 2

Monday, April 14

Tier II

College Avenue 5, Huron Park 1