The skies were threatening on Monday evening but unfortunately the St. Albert Impact Rangers were not.
Under ominous dark skies as thunderstorms loomed at the St. Albert Soccer Association grounds in Riel Park, two goals in two minutes in the second half proved to be too much for the Rangers as they lost 2-1 to the KC Trojans in Edmonton and District Soccer Association premier men’s division action.
Coach Jim Casper said it was a heartbreaking loss, not only in the way they played, but also what it could mean in the league table.
“It’s probably one of our key games in the last half of the season, for sure. It would have given us a little bit of padding in the standings,” he said. “We came out and we didn’t want it bad enough, I guess.”
The Trojans’ goals came in the 63rd and 65th minutes, and Casper said it was just a couple of small mental lapses that made all the difference.
“Guys get tired and, mentally, we just go to sleep. Nobody talks to one another and away we go,” he said. “They were two little mistakes, but they cost us huge.”
The Rangers were able to answer back in the 71st minute when a shot by forward Alan Smith caromed back off the goalpost to midfielder Ryan Sebastianelli, who put it just under the crossbar to bring St. Albert within one.
But, despite some good chances, the Rangers were unable to find the equalizer.
“It didn’t go in, so we’ve got to take our lumps,” Casper said.
Although the first half was scoreless, the Rangers had several good chances, several of them coming off the head and feet of striker Erik Feldmann. In the 13th minute, St. Albert had another great chance when a cross was floated into the 18-yard box, and both Smith and Adam Abdo went after it, but neither made good contact and the shot sailed over the goal.
The game ended on a bit of an ugly note, as Smith was sent off in stoppage time after being shown his second yellow card of the game. The first came in the 47th minute after protesting to the referee after a call, and the second came as a result of retaliating when a Trojans player elbowed him in the face.
Going into Monday’s match, the Rangers were in third place in the EDSA premier division table with 17 points, while the Trojans were at the bottom with just eight.
But Casper said that there is such parity in the league that he never takes an opponent lightly.
“The premier league is always so tight, every single year. You win two games and you’re in second place; you lose one game and you’re down at the bottom of the table getting relegated,” he said. “We can’t afford to give up points.”
It has been a gruelling stretch for the Rangers as of late. Between two premier division games and the Dieter Knobloch Memorial Adult Tournament held by the SASA over the weekend, the team had to play five games in five days between Thursday and Monday.
“It was tough today for sure,” Casper said. “The tournament is fun and everything, and we had a good time, but in the end, it’s the league that matters, and we didn’t pull it together.”
On July 14, the Rangers lost 4-2 to AS Roma in premier division play. They then won two out their three games at the Knobloch tournament, beating the St. Albert Impact 2 and the Kinosoo Strikers from Cold Lake, but losing to the St. Albert Impact 1.
There is little rest for the weary, though, as the Rangers are back on the pitch on Thursday to face another stiff test in the DV Oldboys Green and Gold at 6:30 p.m. at the Edmonton Soccer Association Complex.
“We’ll let the guys have the time to take some water, get some fluids, get healthy,” Casper said. “We just need to be refocused and ready to go for Thursday.”
