Women’s team scraping by to start

By Sean Rooney on September 7, 2018.

srooney@medicinehatnews.com @MHNRooney

A lack of players has the Medicine Hat College women’s soccer team near the breaking point as it starts its regular season this weekend.

New coach Stephen Newton says the Rattlers only have 13 names on the roster, and a few of them are returning from serious injuries.

It wasn’t until a week ago that enough women signed on for the two-plus month outdoor season.

“It’s been quite a challenge to get the numbers,” said Newton, noting walk-ons are still being accepted to try out. “We’re going to do what we can do. Hopefully we get some more players.”

The dire situation came in part due to a massive exodus of athletes following another early playoff exit. Medicine Hat went 7-2-1 in the regular season but lost to eventual conference bronze medallist Concordia in a quarter-final in 2017.

Newton’s late July hiring to replace combined men’s and women’s coach Travis Hyde —the roles are now separated for the first time in 12 years — also factored in.

“It was kind of a last-minute season for us, not sure if we had enough girls for the year,” said fifth-year player Cassidy LaRochelle. “I think this is the smallest team the college’s women’s team has had in a very long time. We went from having a team of 24 last year, 12 or 13 of us were either graduating or our years were expired. Now there’s nine girls who came up from the U-18 program, five of us returning.”

LaRochelle herself couldn’t commit until figuring out a schedule that allowed her to do a practicum as a paramedic while still practising soccer and playing on the weekends. Now she’s the de facto captain and knows she’ll be counted on to lead both on and off the field.

“The girls have been showing a lot of promise honestly,” she said. “They’re doing well, working hard. We’re going to make it work the best we can.”

RELATED: Rattler men get younger under new coach

Their only pre-season action was a 9-on-9, shortened field game against alumni, done that way because of air quality concerns in the province. At practice they can’t do drills against a full defence. On Wednesday most of the time was spent in one quarter of the field, working on situational play and corner kicks.

“We’ve been asking anyone who’s ever played soccer just come around, kick around,” said first-year midfielder Shelby Bach. “I was very scared there wasn’t going to be a team to play on.”

Now that there is, everyone seems aware that expectations can’t be too high. Simply making it through the 10-game regular season with a full field of players — Bach is one of three coming back from a major knee injury — would have to be considered a victory in itself.

On the positive side, Bach and the other rookies will get an absolute baptism by fire. They’ll play Olds and SAIT this weekend.

“The cardio’s going to be great,” noted Bach. “That’s our first thing we do every practice… it’s our biggest concern right now.

“It should be a lot faster, more intense. We’ll all probably be scared at the start.”

But they’ll also be smiling. Because having a team is better than not having one in their minds.

“If we can hold the team together and make them still want to play… this is the game they love,” said Newton, who has coached many of the rookies in the local minor ranks. “We’re getting there. Anything we get, we get as a bonus. But we have to stand together.”

20
-19

Comments are closed.