Head coach Macky Singh had nothing but praise for Amber Wolf, his rookie midfielder who made her Olds College Broncos home debut before her entire family at Normie Kwong Park on Sept. 13. "Amber's been fantastic," Singh said.
Head coach Macky Singh had nothing but praise for Amber Wolf, his rookie midfielder who made her Olds College Broncos home debut before her entire family at Normie Kwong Park on Sept. 13.
"Amber's been fantastic," Singh said. "She's got a huge engine … and she's quick. And she's done well — her attitude's world class."
Wolf, a first-year business management student, is one of two players from Olds on the women's soccer team roster.
Second-year striker Shaylin Muller is the second, currently studying animal health technology.
Both the Broncos women and men were playing a doubleheader against the Medicine Hat College Rattlers.
The women took a lead into the 43rd minute but ended up losing 3-1.
The men were shut out 5-0 and both teams now have a record of 0-2.
Wolf, 17, has played soccer for about six years, starting in the Olds Minor Soccer Association.
"It's a lot tougher but I think it's an amazing experience and it's definitely a challenge," Wolf said about playing at the collegiate level.
The Olds High School graduate wound up with the Broncos after assistant coach Mark Oxer offered her a scholarship.
The addition of head coach Macky Singh was also part of the sales pitch, Wolf said.
Singh is in his first year at the helm of the soccer program, coming over from the St. Thomas University Tommies, a successful playoff team in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association.
His resume also includes experience as head coach of the New Zealand Universities National Team and head coach of Malaysia's National Women's Team.
Wolf said Singh has taught the team to keep its defensive positioning tight.
"He's taught us a lot of defending," she said. "With us, we move as a unit now. So if the ball's on the left side, the whole team shifts and we just work more as a team and we worked a lot on defence."
That effort on defence allowed the women's team to hang around against a nationally-ranked squad from Medicine Hat College.
"I was just blown away. That's what we're talking about, game plans," Singh said.
"I couldn't fault the women whatsoever. The fact that I had eight players who never played football in their life and come out and do what they did against Medicine Hat, who's going to host nationals, I'd be worried if I was a Medicine Hat coach."
Singh said that while the women executed his game plan well, the men had to learn to play as one unit — a challenge, because many players were stars on their respective high school teams.
"It's a learning curve for them. Not so much how they actually play but some players decide to do their own thing and it breaks down the game plan," he said.
"That's something they're not used to when they're playing in high school, where there's no real game plan. They just go out and play and I think that's what some of them are struggling with."
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