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Victoria edges Renegades

Surprisingly, Vic Michalchuk hasn’t noticed a distinct level of frustration among his Red Deer Renegades players
RDRenegadesSoccer
Red Deer Renegade Amber Regnier

Victoria 1 Renegades 0

Surprisingly, Vic Michalchuk hasn’t noticed a distinct level of frustration among his Red Deer Renegades players.

He can’t say the same for himself.

“I’m more stressed and frustrated than they are,” the Renegades coach said following his winless club’s 1-0 loss to Edmonton Victoria in an Alberta Major Women’s Soccer League match on Saturday at Great Chief Park. “The girls are disappointed, but they’re not dejected. They played hard for 90 minutes today, right to the end.”

The visitors got a goal from Allison Black 32 minutes into the contest and it held up, although Michalchuk felt his team deserved a penalty kick late in the closing minutes.

“Our player (Adele Urness) was pulled down right in the box,” he insisted. “We lost a win three weeks ago on that kind of play. We were up 2-1 with eight minutes to go and had to settle for a tie (2-2 with visiting Lethbridge).

The Renegades also had a second-half goal called back on Saturday due to an offside call.

“I think it was offside, that was a legit call,” said Michalchuk. “I don’t contest that one, but the one in the box . . . I contest that.”

The Renegades were short four veterans, with Heather Lund, Sheila Morrison, Sheena Stasiuk and Gina Brown all out of the lineup. Brown is attending school in Quebec for six weeks, Morrison may be done for the season with an ankle injury and Lund will return next weekend when the Renegades host the Edmonton Angels at 12 noon Saturday at Great Chief.

“We have a lot of younger girls playing with us, which is a promising thing. It’s just that you’d like to be winning right now,” said Michalchuk, whose squad, with under-16 player Allison Doll in net, fell to 0-6-1.

“But overall the girls have kept their composure, even with the youth we have, and you have to admire that. I also give lots of kudos to the older girls for keeping their composure and teaching. That has helped keep the stress off the kids.”