The pitch at Riel Park was a puddle for Tuesday’s game between the St. Albert Impact 1 men’s soccer team and the FC Edmonton Reserve. Fans shivered under the clubhouse awning and players slid around the pitch in the pouring rain as the Impact fell to FC Edmonton Reserve 4-0.
“We came into the game not really expecting to win,” said Impact head coach Dave MacEachran. “These guys play together every day and we’re a club team, we play in a league below where these guys play, but we wanted to put up a really good show.”
FC Edmonton Reserve plays in the Alberta Major Soccer League featuring the highest level of elite soccer in the province. St. Albert Impact 1 competes in the Edmonton District Soccer Association men’s premier division.
Impact goalkeeper Adam Pinco made two great back-to-back saves early in the game as the FC Edmonton players kept him busy for much of the first half.
FC Edmonton’s Hanson Boakai scored the first goal of the game early in the first half followed by two shots kicked into the St. Albert net by Edem Mortotsi.
The Impact came out stronger in the second half letting in only one goal, a beauty rocketed-in from the side of the net by midfielder Allan Zebie.
“I think in the second half we played a lot better than we did in the first half and that’s the whole big giant learning experience that we’re trying to do,” said MacEachran.
The action continued for Pinco at the start of the second half when FC Edmonton’s Aymar Sigue collided with him, but the Impact goalie was able to shake off the bump.
Tuesday’s game was an opportunity for Sigue to play back on home turf. The 15-year-old St. Albert resident is in his first season with the FC Edmonton Reserve team.
“It was fun seeing some old faces that I knew,” said the six-foot two and 170-pound striker.
Sigue was one of 11 players selected to FC Edmonton’s residency program that saw him move from Vincent J. Maloney School to St. Joseph Composite High School. He is enjoying his inaugural season with the team and hopes to play on the first team one day.
“It’s been a great experience. It’s fun to play with players with such experience since the first team players come down with us and train,” Sigue said. “And the coaching is great and we have coaches from Holland and it’s nice to see how the Europeans do it.”
Last month, Sigue played for the Canadian team at the Copa Mexico de Naciones Sub-15 tournament in Mexico.
His family was on hand to watch the match and father Simon said that he is absolutely delighted that his son is part of the FC Edmonton Reserve team.
“He’s a St. Albert kid and he was with St. Albert different programs at every age so he has grown and he’s improving so we appreciate the opportunity that FC Edmonton gave him to keep working,” said Sigue’s father.
MacEachran said that Tuesday’s exhibition match was a chance for the St. Albert Impact players to practice their skills and challenge themselves as a team.
“We’re trying to progress as a team and trying to stay up in the premier league, and this was actually a good practice game for us because we needed to work on a bunch of stuff and we did and it worked really well for us,” he said. “I thought the boys did really well. I’m very proud of them – the way they played.”
The St. Albert Impact 1 plays their next home game Thursday, July 12 at Riel Park against the KC Trojans 1.
