Both of St. Albert’s entries in the premier division of the Edmonton District Soccer Association (EDSA) will be in action Thursday night with home field advantage.
First up are the St. Albert Impact Rangers who take on the Ital-Canadians at 6:30 p.m. at Riel. It will be a battle between bottom of the basement dwellers, but for entirely different reasons. After 11 matches, the Rangers are in danger of relegation with a record of one win, eight losses and two ties. The Ital-Canadians, meanwhile, don’t appear to have played any games at all this season, according to the EDS website. In the premier division standings, the Ital-Canadians have played no games and are in last place in the division, with the Rangers second-last.
The St. Albert Impact 1 will replace Rangers at 8:15 p.m. as they take on the Edmonton Warriors, also at Riel. The Impact 1 men are tied for third in the league with a record of six wins, five losses and one tie, while the Warriors are third last in the division at two wins, eight losses and two ties.
The second annual Dieter Knobloch Memorial Adult Tournament will go this weekend at Riel field.
Knobloch was one of the founders of the St. Albert Soccer Association (SASA), serving in such capacities as president, facilities director, referee and coach. He even coached the St. Albert Impact Rangers, a premier-level squad with the EDSA, before succumbing to cancer in 2010.
The tournament runs July 20-22 and will feature the Rangers, as well as other local teams such as the Rummies from the St. Albert Men’s Soccer League. Two teams from the St. Albert Women’s Soccer League will also take part. There is also a co-ed division.
The St. Albert Tigers will be hoping to string two wins in a row together as they host the Red Deer Riggers Thursday night at Legion Memorial Ball Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
The Tigers roared to life on July 10 against the Red Deer Stags in a game that saw Derek Dallorto pitch a full nine innings in his first game for the team, and a near-perfect first inning in which the Tigers scored four runs for what ended as a 9-1 victory. The win was only the Tigers’ second of the season.
The Tigers and Stags are tied at the bottom of the standings with four points. The Riggers are tied for second place in the Sunburst League with the Parkland Whitesox at 14 points.
