Loughlin out for the year from Rattlers

Assistants step up for soccer teams

It’s one thing to replace a fifth-year striker or a starting netminder.

Medicine Hat College’s Rattlers soccer teams will play this season without the man who’s been their joint head coach for the past 11 years.

Jim Loughlin — who was named the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference overall coach of the year this spring — has taken a leave of absence, entrusting a group of former players-turned-coaches to lead the way.

“I always had Jim to ask ‘this is my thinking, what is your thinking,’ then go from there,” said Cassandra Westerman, who’s been an assistant with the women’s side the past four seasons. “You have to trust yourself at this point.”

Prior assistant Travis Hyde is the new head coach, overseeing both men’s and women’s programs just as Loughlin did starting in 2006. Westerman will spend all of her time coaching the women’s team, while firstyear assistant Allan Siwela’s focus will be on the men.

While Westerman’s had a few years since she stopped playing, Siwela’s jumping right in after being a key cog in last year’s group. He points out that he was doing a bit of coaching last year too, however.

“Some of my best friends I graduated with, now I’m telling them to get running,” said Siwela. “That said we’ve built a great relationship. We can joke with each other but when it comes to practice we are able to focus, separate things.”

Coming off seasons that saw both sides narrowly lose their respective opening playoff matches, there’s plenty of motivation to get to the next level. Siwela notes he’s one of a handful of newlygraduated players but that the midfield is essentially intact, plus there are some strong rookies.

As for Westerman and the women, they’ll be led by veterans including Jordyn Bell and Meagan Clarke.

“The girls look a lot fitter, and they’re all competing,” said Westerman. “We get to see all that intensity (while spots are still being determined).”

The regular season starts Saturday, Sept. 9 at home to Lakeland for the Rattlers men and women, who then host Red Deer Sept. 10.

Exhibition games ramped up this week. On Tuesday night, the men beat Concordia 1-0 with Colton Pacheco’s first-half goal. They fell 2-0 in the Wednesday rematch at Edmonton.

Also Tuesday, the Rattlers women lost 4-1 to Edmonton Victoria of the Alberta Major Soccer League, with Francesca Schottner scoring the lone goal. They played a Medicine Hat under-16 boys team Thursday.