Innisfail High School students have hit the field for the soccer season.
“It's a junior, senior high, co-ed soccer team. We've got a good mix of students from grades 9 to 12 this year,” said Narsh Ramrattan, head coach.
The high school soccer season began two weeks ago at the end of April. Innisfail has already played two matches.
“We played our first game last Friday (April 29) against Sylvan Lake and unfortunately that was a loss for us,” he said. “Then we played (May 3) in Lacombe and lost that game too.”
The Innisfail soccer team, with a total of 13 students, is one of six in the Central Alberta High School Soccer League. This season they will play against all high schools in Central Alberta, including those in Red Deer, Sylvan Lake, Lacombe, Bowden and Olds.
Ramrattan noted the short soccer season with a total of just eight games.
Despite the slow start, Ramrattan is confident in his team and is hopeful for a successful season.
“We're still gelling as a team. We're looking to win against the teams that are comparable in size to our school,” he said. “That makes it a little tough -- we are the smallest school in this division with the exception of Bowden,” he added, noting their entry into the division this year.
He noted the small size of both the school and the team roster that has just 13 students this year. That allows for just a couple of substitutes.
“We only have about 290 students (in the school) and we're competing against schools that have 800 and 1,600 students,” he said. “Bowden and ourselves are the only co-ed teams in the division. All the other teams we're playing against are boys teams, but our girls are not intimidated by that.
“They're fantastic, they play very hard but sometimes other schools do try to take advantage of the fact that we are a co-ed team,” he added.
Throughout the soccer season practices are held several times a week, and this year Ramrattan said he would like to focus on different areas to help his team develop and improve their basic soccer skills.
“We've got a good solid goaltender and I think our defence is pretty good,” he said. “We're having trouble finishing right now and a little bit of trouble putting the ball in the back of the net.
“Their fitness is not an issue because they are athletic,” added Ramrattan. “They just have to work on improving their (overall) soccer skills.”
The high school soccer season wraps up with the divisional playoff championship game on June 11 in Red Deer.
Narsh Ramrattan
"We only have about 290 students (in the school) and we're competing against schools that have 800 and 1,600 students. They're fantastic, they play very hard but sometimes other schools do try to take advantage of the fact that we are a co-ed team."
