Soccer teams get good news ahead of home openers
By Sean Rooney on September 15, 2018.
srooney@medicinehatnews.com @MHNRooney It may have been a struggle to get started, but as Medicine Hat College women’s soccer player Kaylei Hole rightfully noted Friday, “things have been looking up.” The Rattlers gained a player in the past week, plus they were finally able to practice on a full field’s worth of players thanks to some alumni and a handful of men who didn’t make the cut for their side. Just in time for Saturday’s 2 p.m. home opener against the Ambrose Lions. “I’m excited for this weekend,” said the second-year defender. “Last weekend we were definitely nervous, not as used to the formation. But it’s been improving this week a lot.” They’ve still only got 14 names on the roster, but scored a goal in their opening-game 2-1 loss at Olds and match up with an Ambrose side that’s in its first season playing outdoors in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference. Granted, many of the names on that side have played indoor futsal with Ambrose, so they can hardly be looked at as rookies. They fell 4-1 to Red Deer but beat Lakeland 2-1 this past weekend. Medicine Hat is 0-2 after a 6-0 loss at SAIT, and would like nothing more than to get into the win column in front of a friendly crowd. “This is our home opener, so if you’re going to do it, you’d better do it tomorrow,” said Rattlers coach Stephen Newton. “We’ve been practising hard all week.” Newton felt his side’s lack of endurance and numbers hurt in the final minutes against Olds, but practising with extra bodies on the pitch should help. They’ll also play Sunday at noon against Lethbridge, which is 0-1-1 after a 3-0 loss to SAIT and a 1-1 draw with Olds. Men As for the men, they’re equally excited for the home crowd. They’ll face the Lions Saturday at 4 p.m. and the Kodiaks Sunday at 2 p.m. “You always look forward to the home opener,” said fifth-year midfielder Albert Woodroffe-Brown. “You can wake up early, ready to get at it. It’s a good time, especially because we get more fans than usual.” Men’s coach Ian Tully had some good news of his own, mainly on the injury front where none of the early scares have yet turned into anything keeping players off the field for an extended length of time. He’ll still rotate a couple new faces into the 18 dressed for Saturday. “Still trying to find the perfect shape, if you like,” said Tully. “I expect another two challenging games; hopefully we’re ready.” Ambrose is 0-1-1 while Lethbridge is 1-1. Medicine Hat split its opening two games. Golf The Rattlers golf teams hit a couple balls in the snow Friday before the white stuff melted during their practice round ahead of the ACAC North Regional in Lac La Biche. The 36-hole tournament is slated to run Saturday and Sunday. They’ll play the South Regional, oddly hosted by Concordia which is based in Edmonton, next weekend and then the ACAC finals in Red Deer Sept. 29 and 30. Medicine Hat hosts nationals in October at Desert Blume. 21
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