Courtesy: Fort McMurray Today


Keyano hosts first futsal tourney

by Trevor Howlett

Keyano College will play host to the first ACAC futsal tournament of the year this weekend at the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre.

Also participating in the tournament are Medicine Hat College, Mount Royal University, Olds College, Lakeland and Ambrose University College.

Women’s futsal coach Ian Diaz thinks his team has a good chance of reaching the podium.

“I’m expecting them to get out of their group and go to the semi-finals. I don’t expect that we’ll be third in our group playing the other third,” said Diaz.

“We have a good chance and after the semi-finals it’s anyone’s game. Just get in there and work hard and stay disciplined to the system we set and we’ll be fine.”

Diaz said he’s most worried about Medicine Hat College who won last year’s ACAC women’s futsal gold medal.

Futsal is a variation of indoor soccer with four players and a goalie per side. There is no contact and players are given fouls similar to basketball. When six fouls are accumulated, a penalty shot is awarded. Instead of throw-ins, futsal has ‘kick-ins’ and there is no offside.

There are also special rules about when the ball can be passed to the goaltender. The game is also much shorter than a regular soccer game with just two 20-minute halves.

Men’s futsal player Santiago Raigoza has played futsal internationally for Canada. He said it’s a game where skilled players are more noticeable than full field soccer.

“This game is considered a lot more creative, a lot more skillful and a lot faster,” he said.

“There is no contact and it looks more like basketball. It’s a lot quicker there’s a lot more goals, there’s a lot more plays and setup. It requires more speed and skill, not as much body size and strength.”

Raigoza thinks the men’s Huskies have a good chance at being competitive although they’ll be playing with a short bench.

“Our goal is to win it for sure, that’s the priority,” said Raigoza. “We’re having difficulty finding players though. For now, we only have five to seven players which means fewer substitutions, so we may be a lot more worn out; so we’ll need to make smart runs.”

The men’s first game is Friday night at 9 p.m. and the women’s first is Saturday at 10 p.m.

All games will be played the Alberta Building Trades Field and have free admission. The tournament runs Friday to Sunday.




Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com