Dal Soccer Live

Live: AUS Women's Soccer Final: UPEI Panthers v. Dalhousie Tigers

2011-11-05T23:06:00.001-03:00

After a very, very long hiatus, there's a post! And, true to the original purpose of this blog, it's a liveblog. Join Dylan from about 1:45pm Sunday here or at dalgazette.com to follow along as the Tigers go for a banner against the Panthers in Fredericton.

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=dc6b816451" >Live: AUS Women's Soccer Final: UPEI v. Dalhousie</a>

Previewing Saturday: Dal Tigers v. UPEI Panthers (Men)

2011-09-09T00:29:00.000-03:00

By Dylan Matthias

The UPEI Panthers will have to hope Jimmie Mayaleh can sink the Tigers again this Saturday. The two teams meet at Wickwire field at 3:15 p.m.

Mayaleh and winger Jarrod Murphy shocked Dal in the AUS semi-finals in 2009 and the Tigers have never been the same since. Those two players are still around for the Panthers, but it's the supporting cast who let UPEI down.

The Panthers finished eighth last year. Mayaleh had a quiet year. That's all it took, really. This year could be worse unless someone comes out of the woodwork for the Panthers.

Given their preseason results, that's unlikely to happen. They lost to St. FX, which was probably expected, but then only beat ACAA squad Holland College 1 - 0 before losing to Mount Allison by the same score. Mount Allison finished six points below UPEI in the standings last year.

Not all is rosy for the Tigers, either, and the first game will be a bit of a gut check for Dal to see what the real potential of this team is. A 1 - 0 loss to Saint Mary's and a draw with St. FX are good preseason results, but the team's youth means consistency may be an issue.

Gone is captain Ross Hagen, replaced by his brother Mark. Hagen scored most of Dal's goals last year from midfield. Hamzeh Afani has departed from ACL purgatory and is not with the team. Tyler Lewars had better start scoring, or this could be a long season at Wickwire.

The good news is the defense is rock solid. Ben Ur is phenomenal in goal and has quite literally won his team championships in the past. Kerry Weymann is terrific defensively, though he battled injuries last year. Nathan Rogers is also solid in the back. If Zach Fisher and Jordan Mannix can remain fairly consistent--Fisher got better as last year went on--Dal look good defensively.

Depth will be an interesting question mark. Lewars aside, almost none of Dal's 2010 recruits are back, which is a worrying sign. Abuchie Ezurike, Sam Vlessing, Nick Stoddard, and Nino Kovacevic are all gone. Promising full-back Kieran Hooey has replaced his Youtube soccer recruiting video with a video plugging his lawn care company.

In their place are large group of rookies, mostly midfielders. Brett McKean may have to help out occasionally on defense, and it will be interesting to see if King's transfer player Rylan Palmer-Dixon makes the transition to AUS. James Nearing, head coach Pat Nearing's son, is also on the team.

It's hard to see UPEI threatening Dal significantly if they can't beat Mount Allison. A 2 - 1 win to Dal seems plausible, with either Mayaleh or Murphy nicking a goal against the run of play.

--Dylan Matthias is the editor-in-chief at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Previewing Saturday: Dal Tigers v. UPEI Panthers (Women)

2011-09-08T23:55:00.000-03:00

By Dylan Matthias

This one could be tough.

The Dalhousie Tigers' first match-up of the AUS soccer season is against probably the most difficult team in the league this year. In that sense, it's a critical battle for three points. It's also a battle Dal will likely lose.

The Tigers have never had an easy time with the Panthers, and this is a young edition of the Tigers, facing a reasonably experienced side from UPEI. The Panthers are returning most of their line-up from last year's CIS-hosting team that took Montreal to the edge in the quarter-finals, minus Tessa Roche, the AUS leading goal scorer last year.

That's a big hole to fill, and the Panthers will rely on star rookie Maria Scichilone to score goals this year. Even with Scichilone, UPEI won't score freely, but their defense proved more than able to cope with CIS forwards last fall and Allyson Seviour and Julie Lannan should have little trouble protecting the flanks. Chanelle Roy returns as arguably the best goalkeeper in AUS. The UPEI midfield is also competent defensively.

Although UPEI will be fairly predictable coming forward, the Tigers back-line is far from impenetrable and Scichilone gives the Panthers something a little different.

Tigers head coach Jack Hutchison called out defender Stephanie Crewe in preseason, saying she had to "settle down" and help lead the team. She'll likely play at centre-back alongside Kristy McGregor-Bales, a promising rookie. Megan Willox looked good at right back in preseason and Rieka Santilli can play there as well. Left-back is more of a problem for Dal, with Saint Mary's exposing them easily on that side several times last week.

After a low-scoring year in 2010, Dal have weapons up front this year and will cause some problems for the Panthers. Emma Landry is capable of beating defenders from wide positions and Bianca Jakisa had a terrific preseason and could break out this year. They lack a true target striker in the middle, however, though rookie Doriana Homerski may see some time there on Saturday. Acadia transfer Lauren Landry is the likely starter, however.

The game may be close, but the Panthers are a far more experienced team than this year's Tigers and can take three points from Wickwire on Saturday. Taryn McKenna, Daphne Wallace, and Santilli will help keep it close for Dal, but the Panthers will win it 1 - 0.

--Dylan Matthias is the editor-in-chief of the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Slow start to women's preseason

2011-09-03T21:07:00.001-03:00

By Dylan Matthias

The Dalhousie women got off to a slow start to preseason on Sept. 1st, losing 1 - 0 to Saint Mary's and drawing Acadia 0 - 0 in two short exhibition matches at Wickwire field.

Acadia also drew with Saint Mary's in another game.

Despite the poor results, and what Tigers' coach Jack Hutchison described as nervous soccer, the Dalhousie recruits showed some promise.

"Some people are stepping up, some people are not quite where we expect them to be."

Doriana Homerski, who scored impressive numbers of goals in Ontario high school play, looked dangerous up front for Dal. She's taller than pretty much anyone on the field and the Tigers looked dangerous in the air for the first time in two and half years on Thursday.

Kristy McGregor-Bales and Megan Willox, two other rookies on defense, looked more than competent. McGregor-Bales held down the centre of defense when she played and made the loss of Amanda Henry a little easier to bear, though some horrific turnovers from Dal's other young centrebacks muted her impact. Willox consistently made penetrating runs from the fullback position well into her second game of the day, and looked dangerous in the process.

The Tigers have also acquired another back-up goalkeeper in Shannon Junor, and Hutchison thinks she may push Taryn McKenna for a starting spot sooner rather than later.

"Big positives out of her," Hutchison said. He also mentioned that she can benefit from hard work with Dal goalkeeping coach Gary Carter.

Replacing the significant departures won't be easy for Dal.

"If we're going to replace [the] lost talent, we're going to replace it as a team," said Hutchison. He emphasized that all of the veterans would be expected to step up and lead the team.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming editor-in-chief of the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Tigers Soccer Pre-Season Schedule Available

2011-08-15T16:16:00.000-03:00

By Dylan Matthias

The Tigers pre-season soccer schedule for the 2011 season has been posted on the Dal Athletics website.

Here are the pre-season schedules:

On September 1st, the women will play at 3pm and 5pm against Saint Mary's and Acadia. These games are both at Wickwire.

On September 4th, the women play again at Husky Stadium in their final pre-season game.

The men play in Antigonish on the 6th against St. FX.

Both teams open their seasons against strong UPEI teams on Saturday September 10th at Wickwire. Those games will be webcast on SSN Canada, and should be a good show.

As we'll see when I eventually get around to doing a 2011 season preview (I promise it'll be done in the next few days!), UPEI's women's team should be very strong this year, and the UPEI men are usually competitive and well-organized, too.

The pre-season games hold lots of storylines for the Tigers. The men have to fill holes left by Ross Hagen and Chris Haughn, and pre-season will give Pat Nearing a chance to experiment with some more fullbacks, as well as see how new recruit Bezick Evraire-Chance handles AUS play. The women are rebuilding this year, so just seeing who pops up on the field could be a story in itself.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming editor-in-chief of the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Live: CIS Women's Soccer Gold Medal: Queen's v. Laurier

2010-11-14T10:54:00.000-04:00

The game the whole weekend is really about kicks off at 1:00pm this afternoon. We'll be live to preview the rematch of the OUA final (which Laurier won 1-0) at 12:15pm, assuming, of course, that the previous game doesn't go into extra time, in which case it'll be more like 12:35pm.

As always, the blog window and/or links are after the jump. Drop by and have your say on the national final.
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=8c900bbe79" >Live: CIS Women's Soccer Gold Medal: Queen's v. Laurier</a>

[Cross-posted to Dal Soccer Live, Haligonia.ca, The CIS Blog, Dalgazette.com]

Live: CIS Women's Soccer Bronze Medal: Montreal v. Fraser Valley

2010-11-13T23:36:00.000-04:00

The Carabins are back after falling apart last night. They'll go for bronze and we'll go live from 9:30am. Montreal are without coach Kevin McConnell and midfielder Claire Robbins for the game after both were ejected in the semi-final.

Find out whether the Carabins can salvage some pride or whether UFV will end their incredible season with a national medal after the jump.
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=51a9dc221c" >Live: CIS Women's Soccer Bronze Medal: Montreal v. Fraser Valley</a>
[Cross-posted to Dal Soccer Live, Haligonia.ca, The CIS Blog, Dalgazette.com]

Live: CIS Women's Soccer Semi-final: Montreal v. Laurier

2010-11-13T14:54:00.000-04:00

Find out if Veronique Laverdiere can score with one foot and flop with the other from 3:30pm. Laurier had a good quarter-final and could give the Carabins a challenge.

Find out who gets to meet Queen's in the final after the jump.
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=ca38624e73" >Live: CIS Women's Semi-Final: Montreal v. Laurier</a>
[Cross-posted to Dal Soccer Live, Haligonia.ca, The CIS Blog, Dalgazette.com]

Live: CIS Women's Soccer Semi-final: Queen's v. Fraser Valley

2010-11-13T12:04:00.000-04:00

See whether the Gaels can advance to the final tomorrow and whether UFV can continue as a playoff super-team from 12:30pm.

The blog (or in some cases, links to it) is after the jump. Please note that due to some multi-tasking conflicts, Dylan won't be present for the consolation final at 7:00pm tonight between Laval and UBC. Apologies for any inconvenience.
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=94f0c950c6" &amp;amp;gt;Live: CIS Women's Soccer Semi-Final: Queen's v. Fraser Valley&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;
[Cross-posted to Dal Soccer Live, Haligonia.ca, The CIS Blog, Dalgazette.com]

Live: CIS Women's Soccer Championships: UPEI v. UBC

2010-11-12T14:56:00.000-04:00

Last night's Panthers game was a blast, but they'll be in just as tough against a big, strong, fast UBC team that struggled to finish against Laurier yesterday.

If the two teams replicate yesterday's form (something CBU and Laval absolutely didn't do) then this could be another excellent game for the hosts.

I'll be here from 3:45pm.
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=d9b99e4f6c" >Live: CIS Women's Soccer Championships: UPEI v. UBC</a>
[Cross-posted to Dal Soccer Live, Haligonia.ca, The CIS Blog, Dalgazette.com]

Live: CIS Women's Soccer Championships: Cape Breton v. Laval

2010-11-12T12:13:00.000-04:00

The consolation semi-finals start at 12:45pm on a much warmer and more comfortable day in Charlottetown. These four teams eliminated from trophy contention yesterday can still finish as high as fifth.

See who gets through to the consolation final after the jump.
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=9ced91acc5" >Live: CIS Women's Soccer Championship: Cape Breton v. Laval</a>

[Cross-posted to Dal Soccer Live, Haligonia.ca, The CIS Blog, Dalgazette.com]

Live: CIS Women's Soccer Championships: Montreal v. UPEI

2010-11-11T18:04:00.001-04:00

Follow Dylan as his brain turns to grey-green mush during the fourth game of a very, very long Thursday from 7:00pm. How coherent the blog is may depend quite directly on the proximity of a pizza place to the field in Charlottetown. Dylan's hoping one is close, and that the Laurier-UBC game doesn't go to extra-time.

The blog is after the jump, except on Haligonia, where you'll need to use the links after checking out all the great writers on the site and sounding off on the forum.

The media hype for this tournament in Charlottetown is incredible, and this game should be packed and intense.
Live: CIS Women's Soccer Championship: Montreal v. UPEI

[Cross-posted to Dal Soccer Live, Haligonia.ca, The CIS Blog, Dalgazette.com]

Live: CIS Women's Soccer Championships: Wilfred Laurier v. University of British Columbia

2010-11-11T14:47:00.000-04:00

Join Dylan at 3:30pm for an epic aerial battle between the Golden-Hawks and Thunderbirds, two significant contenders at this year's tournament. Only one, of course, can make it through the semi-finals. UBC play up-tempo attacking soccer. Laurier don't, or are, at least, defensively responsible, which takes the fun out of everything.

The blog is after the jump, unless you're on Haligonia, in which case, some links are. Check out all the excellent sportswriting on Haligonia and add some thoughts to the forum discussion.
&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=737836bed2" &amp;gt;Live: CIS Women's Soccer Championships: Laurier v. UBC&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
[Cross-posted to Dal Soccer Live, Haligonia.ca, The CIS Blog, Dalgazette.com]

Live: CIS Women's Soccer Championships: University of Fraser Valley v. Laval

2010-11-11T12:26:00.000-04:00

The miracle continues for the Cascades, unless the Rouge et Or end it here at 1:00pm.

Dylan will be here at 12:30pm UNLESS the previous game goes into extra-time, in which case he'll be over whenever he gets a chance.

If you're on Haligonia, technical issues prevent posting the blog directly. Use the links below to head to a different site, but check out the other great writers on Haligonia before you go and drop by the forums to chime in on our discussion of the tournament.

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=4ad3f54011" &amp;amp;gt;Live: CIS Women's Soccer Championships: Fraser Valley v. Laval&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

[Cross-posted to Dal Soccer Live, Haligonia.ca, The CIS Blog, Dalgazette.com]

Live: CIS Women's Soccer Championships: Cape Breton v. Queen's

2010-11-10T23:42:00.000-04:00

Join Dylan and his stable, Canada Games leftover internet connection at 9:30am (9:30! AM!) for what should be one of the better games of the tournament.

A solid but exposed Gaels team will have to contend with a rolling and talented Capers squad that could unseat one of the tournament favourites.

Find out who gets to mark Jacqueline Tessier and argue about whether Jessica Furtado looks like Carlos Tevez or not after the jump. And, as always, if you're reading on Haligonia or some mobile devices, you won't see the CoverItLive window. Follow the links and you will see it. While you're at Haligonia, head over to the forums and discuss the playoffs in our thread.

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=e8bb20cdda" >Live: CIS Women's Soccer Championships: Cape Breton v. Queen's</a>

[Cross-posted to Dal Soccer Live, Haligonia.ca, The CIS Blog, Dalgazette.com]

CIS Championships to be Webcast on SSN

2010-11-07T21:18:00.001-04:00

By Dylan Matthias

I've received a number of queries over the weekend about webcasting.

Acadia did not webcast the AUS championships. There is no publically available video for that tournament beyond my badly filmed and hastily edited highlight packs.

The good news--and news that will spare you from further highlight packs--is that according to Canada West, the CIS championships will be streamed on SSN.

SSN doesn't have the games on its schedule yet, but Canada West are a pretty authoritative source, so it's somewhat safe to assume I'll have two hands next weekend to live-blog.

And while we're at it, may as well plug the CIS live-blogs and preview shows: Dal Soccer Live will live-blog the CIS nationals, hopefully with a moderately better connection than we had at Acadia this weekend. I believe Bill McLean will be previewing the tournament on CKDU some time between 10:30 and noon on Tuesday. The live-blogs will be cross-posted along with daily wrap-ups to the CIS Blog and Haligonia.ca, as well as dalgazette.com.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Cape Breton Capers win AUS Gold

2010-11-07T21:05:00.000-04:00

By Dylan Matthias

The Capers are back.

Rookie Devon Pierre scored the only goal of a sloppy game to give the Cape Breton Capers another AUS title.

"I was just in the right spot at the right time," Pierre said.

"Devon is a local kid," said Capers coach Ness Timmons. Pierre is from Albert Bridge, N.S., near Sydney. "A bit off the radar--not a provincial player or anything--but a quality athlete...we think that she'll have a fabulous career in the AUS."

The game was largely without incident. Cape Breton ran most of the possession for 90 minutes, but were unable to create many clear-cut chances.

The Panthers' rare chances came on the break, or when Cape Breton failed to clear one of the many, many long balls whacked aimlessly into the box. Carolyn McKenna missed a largely open goal in the 15th minute and Tiffany O'Donnell had to make one save late in the first half with her forehead.

Aside from that, the Capers absorbed most of UPEI's attack, which struggled all weekend to link anything through their midfield.

Pierre's goal came from a situation no different than any in the game so far, only this time the throw-in fell to Erika Lannon and the talented Cape Breton forward drove a cross in front of goal. Pierre ran perfectly onto the cross and smashed a shot. Chanelle Roy improbably managed to get in front of it, but could only deflect Pierre's bullet up onto the crossbar and down into the goal.

"We gave away a goal with two mental mistakes," said UPEI coach Mike Redmond. "That cost us. We could have gone and collected the ball on the ball that went out and then on the throw-in we over-committed defensively. We make those two mistakes at this level, it's going to cost us. It's juvenile stuff...it's frustrating to give away a game like that."

Redmond's optimism faded quickly in that quote, and appropriately so, since the same was true of his team on the day. UPEI again failed to involve Tessa Roche in the attack, and she drifted wider and wider as the game went on, becoming more and more isolated thanks to effective marking by Nicholle Morrison.

After the Capers went ahead, UPEI panicked. What had been a dysfunctional but potentially capable attack became frenetic and hopeless. Cape Breton sat back for the final half hour, content to whack the ball into the Panthers' half. Rather than build an attack, the Panthers back four tried to rush things, hitting long passes straight into touch. Save for a mazy run by Chelsie McInnis that really never got anywhere near O'Donnell, the Panthers had nothing after Cape Breton scored. Pierre may as well have scored a golden goal. The game ended as a contest in the 55th minute.

"PEI are very organized in the back, they're very tough. They get the ball out early and fast," said Timmons. While those balls rarely went anywhere, the Panthers' biggest success on the day was nullifying the offence that tore a gaping hole in the Dal Tigers Saturday. "It's tough to penetrate that back line and get quality shots. We knew our chances might be few, but we took advantage of the few we did have."

The Capers and Panthers both qualified for CIS nationals with wins on Saturday.

"I can't even wait [for nationals]," said Pierre. "I've never been to a nationals before. I can't wait at all. The fact that we won, and we're going on a win...is amazing.

Cape Breton, though, won't get much seeding advantage at nationals. Queen's lost a shocker in the OUA final to Laurier, meaning the Capers get arguably the best team to qualify for nationals in the quarter-finals--not that there's much consolation for the Panthers (who would otherwise have had them) who will now draw the QSSF/RSEQ Montreal Carabins.

"I'm not concerned about how we'll play," said Redmond, "'cause I know we'll play very well--it's not the first time we've been there. As host it's important we put a good foot forward, not just for UPEI, but for Atlantic Canada in hosting."

Last time the CIS championships were played in the Atlantic region was 2007. Host Cape Breton made a run to the final and won it on home turf.

[Cross-posted to Haligonia.ca, CIS Blog]

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Live: AUS Women's Gold Medal: UPEI Panthers v. Cape Breton Capers

2010-11-07T11:39:00.000-04:00

Yesterday's blog went down in a blaze of disappointment in the middle of a penalty shoot-out. And today's may do the same thing. We hope it won't. If you do, too, you can follow the AUS gold medal final between UPEI and Cape Breton from 2:30pm this afternoon.

The possibly-functional blog is after the jump.
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=2f10376367" >AUS women's soccer: Gold Medal Game (UPEI v. Cape Breton)</a>

[Cross posted to The CIS Blog, Haligonia Sports, Dal Soccer Live]

Women's Soccer Semi-final Wrap-up: Favourites In Trouble

2010-11-07T01:42:00.001-03:00

By Dylan Matthias

There will be some fresh blood at nationals this year. Trinity Western and Dalhousie both lost semi-final draws Saturday afternoon. The Canada West favourites Alberta were done in by UBC. The UFV Cascades will continue a miracle season in PEI.

In AUS play, the Dalhousie Tigers are out of the Atlantic University Sport women's soccer playoffs. Goals by Kyla Cunningham in the 11th minute and Nicholle Morrison in the 19th minute gave the Capers a 2-0 win and another berth at nationals for a young team that doesn't look so young.

"Every game we win at this point gives us some great experience," said Capers coach Ness Timmons. "But our goal is to win the national title, too."

In the other semi-final the Saint Mary's Huskies were defeated 4-2 on penalties by the UPEI Panthers after drawing 1-1 through 120 minutes.

The Tigers came out flat and showed it immediately. Rieka Santilli, who broke her leg two months ago, was included in the starting line-up and looked off the pace immediately.

After trading corners with the Capers for the first ten minutes, a simple Cape Breton short corner undid a listless Dalhousie defense. Tara Rogers took to ball and crossed to Cunningham at the back post for an easy goal with Amanda Henry left marking an invisible defender six feet away as the ball sailed over her head.

Santilli left the game in the 18th minute after landing awkwardly on her leg. She didn't bother stopping at the bench on her way to the tunnel. She was limping.

"I just really wanted to win... I felt really good," said Santilli. "And then I just landed on it funny again on my first touch and just injured it."

As Santilli walked off, the Capers swung another cross into the Dal box and again the back four were caught ball-watching as Morrison smashed home the perfect volley unmarked from six yards out.

Kaelyn Burke and Sarah Mitchell were at each other's throats all evening, pushing, shoving and lunging at each other on the wing from the first whistle. Burke was booked for hacking Mitchell down from behind in the first half.

The Tigers created little in the second half, pushing more bodies forwards but finding themselves consistently incapable of making a cutting pass into space. The Capers held fast defensively and attacked Dal on the break.

Burke was sent off in the 80th minute with a second yellow, for a two-footed tackle from behind 19 yards from her own goal.

Despite the advantage and some considerable pressure, the Tigers never looked like scoring; even when they hit the cross-bar late it was with a distinct air of consolation. The pressure reeked of desperation that everyone--including the Tigers--knew would hardly be enough to overturn the 2-0 deficit.

"Goals don't come easy in this game. Some days they can be awful hard to find," said Dalhousie coach Jack Hutchison. "Sometimes they don't come when you need them.

"They just gotta come and relax and play and not worry about the end result. We end up getting that bye and waiting for that team, maybe what we gotta do is come in three to six and try to play it that way, 'cause this waiting is awful hard."

Earlier in the day, it was the underdog Huskies who dominated the top-seeded UPEI Panthers.

The first half was a gritty and physical affair, with long balls and set pieces providing the bulk of the chances. Sara Stewart struggled to cope with long passes forwards to Burgess. It would, in fact, be a difficult evening for Stewart.

The Huskies were dealt a blow of their own in the 20th minute when Nicole Roberts caught influential winger Heidi Pentz in midfield. Pentz fell awkwardly and limped off with a knee injury.

The Panthers offence was misfiring in the first half. Their 4-3-3 formation left a lot of space between wide players and central players and passes were consistently overhit on the wet surface.

It was Allyson Seviour's gaffe that led to the opener early in the second half. She watched a routine bouncing long ball bounce right on by her and then watched Monica Diab fly past her and onto the bouncing ball she had been watching. She then watched Diab float a shot past Chanelle Roy to give SMU a lead against the tournament favourites.

Three minutes lates, Seviour and Stewart combined their ball-watching talents again as Burgess broke past them. But for some strong defending by Seviour as she raced to get back into the play SMU could have made it 2-0.

Sarah Stanley scored an equally improbably equalizer in the 75th minute, bundling a Justine Caldwell rebound inches over the line.

Extra-time produced few real chances and the teams traded penalties until the fourth shooter, with each team missing once. Then rookie Sophie Langille-Broderick stepped up for SMU and drilled it straight at Roy. Chelsie McInnis scored her next shot to win it.

In Canada West Final Four playoffs it was also a bad day for favoured teams. Alberta were downed in extra-time by the UBC Thunderbirds and Trinity Western put in a shocker, losing on penalties to the UFV Cascades.

The only favoured team to win easily was Queen's, who beat McMaster 3-0 in OUA playoffs thanks to goals from Kelli Chamberlain, Mary Kampman and Jacqueline Tessier. Laurier beat Ottawa 2-1, with all the goals coming in the first half. Ali McKee and Kate Landry cancelled each other's goals out before Alyssa Lagonia won it in the 43rd minute.

[Cross posted to The CIS Blog, Haligonia Sports, Dal Soccer Live]

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Live: AUS Women's Semi-final: Dalhousie Tigers v. Cape Breton Capers

2010-11-06T17:03:00.001-03:00

[Note: the internet connection at Raymond Field failed minutes into this game. I will post highlights and a wrap-up later tonight.]

It's potentially the best match-up of the women's soccer season: two finalists who should have played each other in last year's final but for both of them failing at the semi-final hurdle. This year, only one can make the final. Find out which at 1:30pm.

As usual, if you're reading on Haligonia.ca, you will not see the viewer window. Use the links at the bottom of the page to find a window that does work. But while you're on Haligonia, check out the forums where we have a women's playoffs discussion ongoing, among other tantalizing topics.

The blog is after the jump.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=1f85a8ec2f" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Live: AUS Women's Soccer Playoffs Semi-final: Dalhousie v. Cape Breton&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

[Cross-posted to: The CIS Blog, Dal Soccer Live, Haligonia Sports, Dalgazette.com]

Live: AUS Women's Semi-final: UPEI Panthers v. Saint Mary's Huskies

2010-11-06T12:30:00.000-03:00

After a strange and thrilling win yesterday, the Huskies take to the field again to try and keep their roll alive against the powerful first seed UPEI Panthers. The blog will start up for some pre-game notes at 1:30pm. Kick-off is at 2:00.

The blog is after the jump unless you're reading on Haligonia.ca, in which case the great ghosts of cyberspace have stolen your viewing window and made off with it to a highly abstract realm where you cannot go with a physical body. You'll see some links at the bottom of the post. Any of those should have the blog. While you're on Haligonia, head over to the forums and sound off on the tournament in the tournament discussion thread.
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=0fad1b5e2e" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Live: AUS Wome's Soccer Playoffs Semi-final: UPEI v. Saint Mary's&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
[Cross-posted to: The CIS Blog, Dal Soccer Live, Haligonia Sports, Dalgazette.com]

AUS Quarterfinal Wrap-up: Windy goals star for Saint Mary's, Cape Breton

2010-11-06T01:08:00.002-03:00

[A note on the highlight pack: this is my first time doing Flipcam work and my first time narrating highlights. I threw this together in two hours after the game. So don't tear me to pieces in the comments. I sound tired 'cause I am.]

By Dylan Matthias

It was as dramatic as an AUS championship should be. Skill, physicality, luck, and desperation were all on healthy display Friday in Wolfville along with a good dose of legendary Nova Scotian weather.

"It was really wet," said Saint Marys' Jennifer Holland.

The Saint Mary's Huskies were outplayed for 90 minutes but overcame a penalty kick goal and beat the St. FX X-Women 2 - 1.

Lindsay Millet, who handled the ball in her own area to give St. FX the penalty, scored in the dying seconds of the match after a two-on-one break with Kelly Burgess.

"The girls kept fighting back and kept working hard," said Huskies coach Mark Sweetapple.

The first half of the game was a gritty, physical affair as predicted. Both teams fouled frequently and generated few chances on goal. Set-pieces nearly undid the Huskies. The X-Women won corner after corner, capitalizing on the wind to keep the ball deep in the SMU end. Despite some awkward saves by 'keeper Justine Caldwell and a crossbar, nobody could score.

Despite taking over the wind-dominance in the second half, Saint Mary's were burned on a St. FX counterattack. A bouncing ball in the Saint Mary's area blew onto Millet's outstretched arm as she tried to hold off the pressuring Melanie Sunada. Nicole Melong placed the ball in the corner easily from 12 yards.

Saint Marys' equalizer may be remembered for awhile. It could also become the signature goal of what is forecasted to be a windy, rainy tournament. With a free kick 65 to 70 yards from goal--certainly well inside her own half--Hayley Fox sent a bouncing, looping, blowing free kick over Anna Thompson's head and into goal.

The second half was fast and dramatic as both teams went for the win. St. FX thought they had it when Shannon Boisvert broke in down the left and floated a shot past Caldwell. After a conference between referee and assistant, the goal was called back for offside.

Extra-time lurked. Then a horrendous misread in the X-Women back four allowed Kelly Burgess to steal in with Millet. Thompson couldn't stop the slow rolling shot and it bounced into the goal with seconds left to play.

It was a performance St. FX will be proud of--they played hard and probably should have won the game but for some horrendous luck. Olivia Zanette had an anonymous performance while Sunada, deployed at striker by head coach Trevor Reddick, was excellent, hustling everywhere and showing a deft touch to create most of St. FX's chances.

In the day's second semi-final, Cape Breton thumped Acadia for four goals, including two in the first ten minutes. Right off the kick-off, Nicholle Morrison tried to recreate Fox's long distance strike and just about did, hitting the crossbar on the bounce.

Tara Rogers opened the scoring in the fourth minute, converting a cross from Morrison.

A minute later, Caitlin Shaw scored from 50 yards, and Acadia had lost their only playoff game in five minutes.

The Axewomen were toothless even by their own standards on the night and were certainly miles from competing with a Cape Breton team featuring a lot of talent that looked very comfortable. It only took 15 minutes for Ness Timmons to put his rookies into the game.

Cape Breton went three ahead after the wind carried a clearance out for a corner. Paula Serracin-Pitti was left utterly unmarked at the back post and headed in powerfully.

The second half reversed the wind, giving Acadia far more possession close to the Capers net. They created nothing, but neither did the Capers, leading to a snore-inducing final 45 minutes which a good-sized crowd endured despite an escalation in the storm that reduced visibility and introduced surfing as an AUS sport.

"We've got a younger team this year and it's a bit of a rebuilding team with losing our all-Canadians last year and our fifth-year players," said Timmons. "We've been playing 17, 18 players all season trying to peak at the right time."

The Capers will need to keep their strong form tomorrow in what should be one of the AUS women's match-ups of the year. Cape Breton meet Dalhousie in the semi-finals, a clash of two teams with attacking ability and strong defenders. Perhaps the biggest loss tomorrow will be that one of them won't head to nationals.

"We'll dream about Dal tonight," said the Capers' Alyssa Kavanaugh. "It'll be a playoff game. We're both equally matched defensively and offensively...whoever wants it more is going to win."

UPEI play Saint Mary's 2:00pm tomorrow, followed by the Tigers and Capers at 5:00pm. Both games will be live-blogged on Dal Soccer Live.

[Cross posted to The CIS Blog, Haligonia Sports, Dal Soccer Live]

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Live: AUS Women's Soccer Playoffs: Acadia v. Cape Breton

2010-11-05T17:18:00.000-03:00

By: Dylan Matthias

Stop by around 5:30pm for the host's first (and likely only) game, as well as Lauren O'Connor's final AUS match.

Blog is after the jump. If you're on Haligonia.ca, you won't see the viewer window for technical reasons I am incapable of solving. You should see a number of links with cross-posting. You can find the blog at any of those. There's also a discussion forum on the Haligonia forums where I'm posting some updates.

[Cross-posted to CIS Blog, www.dalgazette.com, Haligonia Sports]

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Live: AUS Women's Soccer Playoffs: Saint Mary's v. St. Francis Xavier

2010-11-05T11:06:00.000-03:00

By: Dylan Matthias

Join Dylan live from 2:30pm for the first game of the 2010 AUS women's soccer playoffs, featuring Saint Mary's and St. FX.

The blog is after the jump.

[Cross-posted to CIS Blog, http://www.dalgazette.com/, Haligonia Sports]

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

The Long-Awaited AUS Playoff Preview

2010-11-03T16:59:00.002-03:00

By: Dylan Matthias

It's been a little while since I posted, but this forced me back into it: the time is finally upon us. It's AUS playoff preview-writing week!

Let's get the actual predicting sorted out early: UPEI will win the women's championships and Dalhousie will win the men's.

Read on to see Dylan's go at predicting scores for each game, too, as well as a full break-down of both tournaments and all the playoff previews associated with them.

Intro:

The week started off with a long, long session of Dal Gazette playoff preview editing on Monday. And over on Haligonia.ca, Bill McLean chimed in with a preview, too--it's a celebration! Since playoff previews are all about inclusivity, we even edited some AUS Football previews, too. Tuesday, was Different Media Day at Playoff Preview Week, and CKDU did its AUS soccer previews on the Bill McLean Sports Show (which I would link to if I could figure out CKDU's archives, but I can't). Today, well, this playoff preview comes out, and, if I can get it done before midnight, there should be one on the CIS Blog. Thursday is an off-day where Dylan manically tries to pull together all the media for the weekends live-blogs, including (but not limited to) stats, more stats, video, polls, backgrounders, some more stats, photos, and stats. Friday, the Gazette comes out, which you can read online, too, capping off what we all hope will be a very sucessful Playoff Preview Week.

Oh, and there are two AUS soccer championships this weekend, too.

Because Dal Soccer Live/Haligonia.ca is live-blogging the women's championships (and we want the info to be high up so we don't have to scroll through the whole article to find out how bad our predictions were), the women are first. If you're interested in following the live-blog, it should start around 2:30pm on Friday with some pre-game chit-chat, which will be much enhanced if there are comments on the blog. All the games will be live-blogged, assuming the internet holds out.

Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia: AUS Women's Soccer Championships:

Everything, of course, changed on the last weekend of the season.

Mainly, Dal lost to Memorial. Moncton also lost to Cape Breton, which is less surprising, but still a result that eliminated the Aigles-Bleues.

It should never have happened. MUN were winless for a reason. According to match stats (which is all we're going to get), Dal had 28 attempts on goal, and 15 of them on target. 10 corner kicks. Dal dominated and didn't finish, obviously.

The points dropped cost the Tigers first place to UPEI. This could cost Dal, as it means Cape Breton will likely meet them in the semi-finals. It's a fixture Dal won at Wickwire this year--quite comfortably, 2 - 0. But the Capers are still an experienced, capable squad and could easily send the Tigers home early again.

UPEI will meet whichever one of St. FX and Saint Mary's comes out of the fourth-fifth quarter-final. That should be a far easier game for the Panthers, although they've dropped four of six points against SMU and X this year. Still, it won't be easy for the quarter-final winner to play talented UPEI less than 24 hours after what will be a very difficult game for both.

Here's a more detailed break-down of each game:

(5)Saint Mary's Huskies v. (4)St. FX X-Women (3:00pm, Friday): This will be a tough, tough battle for both teams. They're evenly matched and they typically play well against each other. SMU have had a mixed season, but have picked up the easy points efficiently and find themselves in the playoffs. Kelly Burgess has been on fire this season, scoring seven and tying her for second in goals scored. She'll be a handful for a young St. FX back line. Nicole Melong, the only fifth-year on the team, will be responsible for most of the defending, but she's looked shaky when we've seen her this year. Scoring is a massive problem for St. FX. Olivia Zanette has four, which is isn't bad, but her form changes every time the wind blows and Wolfville can be a breezy place with lots of wind off the Minas Basin. Prediction: SMU 1 - 1 St. FX, 4 - 3 on penalties.

(H)Acadia Axewomen v. (3)Cape Breton Capers (6:00pm, Friday): Acadia's goal in this game will be to avoid getting played off their own park. This is Acadia's first playoff appearance in a very, very long time. They won't win the banner. They won't beat CBU unless the Capers collapse entirely. Amit Batra is turning this program around, and some playoff experience will go a long way towards helping his young team grow. There is some talent on this Axewomen team--Michelle Davey can threaten, Becca Stunz is useful on the wing, Cathleen Bleakney looked good a couple of weeks ago and rookie Charlotte Nutt is promising. Playoff experience will help her, especially. It's the last hurrah for long-standing holding midfielder Lauren O'Connor, who will get to play her final game in front of home fans. Cape Breton did implode in last year's semi-finals to UPEI, so there is some precedent for an upset. But it still won't happen. Prediction: Acadia 1 - 4 Cape Breton.

(QF1)Saint Mary's Huskies v. (1)UPEI Panthers (2:00pm, Saturday): It could also be St. FX in this game, of course. Either way, UPEI should win this. There's some ground to say that, because the Panthers are hosting nationals, they might take it easy. That's unlikely, given they lost the banner last year in extra-time. This team will want a title. They were underestimated a bit coming into this season and a win would prove to the league and the country that they are a new contender (although a strong performance at nationals would do a better job of this). Upsets are always possible in the playoffs--if SMU get hot things could be interesting here--but UPEI are loaded up front with Tessa Roche and Ali Goodman, solid in the back, and have a likely-to-be-an-all-star keeper in Chanelle Roy. Tough to see them losing, even if they were held by SMU already this year. Prediction: SMU 0 - 2 UPEI.

(QF2)Cape Breton Capers v. (2)Dalhousie Tigers (5:00pm, Saturday): It pains me to predict this. It really does. But Dal Soccer Live has to be bold sometimes: Dal will lose this game. It'll hurt. There may be tears. It may be highly controversial or highly unlucky. But Dal are primed to lose in the semi-final. It may well be that the loss to Memorial awakened them and reminded them that losing can happen easily. And they may respond. But they lost to Memorial. That does not exactly indicate flying form coming into the playoffs. Sure, the Tigers have played good soccer throughout the year, but so can the Capers. It'll be ugly, it'll be skilled, it'll be ferocious. Erika Lannon will probably score the winner. But somehow, this one just smells like a Capers win. Prediction: Cape Breton 2 - 1 Dalhousie.

(SF1)UPEI Panthers v. (SF2)Cape Breton Capers (3:00pm, Sunday): This fixture could be any other combination of teams, of course, if we're wrong in our predictions. But if we take it that UPEI and CBU will meet, it should be a fairly epic battle. Both are talented teams, even if the Capers have had a bit of an off year. There's offensive talent and defensive talent. Both teams are going to nationals at this point anyway, since UPEI in the finals means the runner-up qualifies. If Jessica Furtado stops doing fancy stepovers long enough to take a shot, she could score a critical goal in this one. Prediction: UPEI 2 - 3 Cape Breton, AET.

Universite de Moncton, Moncton, New Brunswick, AUS Men's Soccer Championships:

Figuring this AUS men's conference out is a bit tricky.

First, you've got Dal, who should have been good, but haven't been. Sure, sure, third is a solid finish and it might even help them going into the playoffs. But the Tigers should have finished higher this year. Why they didn't is another post.

St. FX are ranked #1, but haven't played a game against CIS opposition in years. How exactly a #1 ranking is deserved based on easy wins against Acadia is something only CIS can say. They're good, but not that good.

UPEI, who were last year's runners-up, finished eighth with a 4-8-1 record. Jimmie Mayaleh had far less occasion to take off his shirt and get sent off this year--two goals on 28 shots. Ouch.

Then Cape Breton, who were most people's choice to repeat as champions, managed to add talent and worsen their team. No one's quite sure what happened to the Capers, but chemistry seems to be a refrain.

Acadia were nicely predictable this year, though, finishing 2-11-0.

All of this makes predicting the playoffs extremely difficult. And that's why Dal have an easier road thanks to finishing in third.

The Tigers will run into Moncton in the quarters. That's a tough match-up, but not an insurmountable one for a Tigers team that does have some momentum coming into the playoffs. More importantly, it allows them to avoid Cape Breton in the first round, who despite barely making the playoffs are perfectly capable of doing damage in high-pressure situations.

Finishing third also guarantees that Dal will avoid St. FX in the semi-final, which also has to be a good thing. The Tigers did lose 6-1 to SMU (the other semi-finalists) but beat the Huskies two weeks later at Wickwire easily enough, 2-0.

It won't be a huge surprise if X make the final--they are pretty good--but it also won't be a huge surprise if they completely self-destruct in the semi, more or less according to the Dal Tigers 2009 template. Teams that should win easily often don't. Factor in massive discipline problems and a Capers v. X-Men game could go anywhere.

Only one AUS team makes nationals this year due to quirky CIS berth-assigning (although OUA will have three teams in Toronto--just saying). So the winner takes it all. St. FX seem a likely pick, but it would be fun to see them lose, and it would be nice for CIS to have to have seven straight top-three St. FX rankings up on their website all winter.

And here's how it'll all play out (maybe):

(5)UNB Varsity Reds v. (4)Cape Breton Capers (Friday, 12:00pm): Cape Breton are coming in with two wins against non-playoff teams. UNB have two goals in their last four games--although to be fair two of those games were 1-0 wins. It's hard to pick against the Capers here because they have a swath of talent and UNB just, quite simply, don't. The Reds struggle mightily to score consistently and rely on tough, defence-first play. Against a Capers team that--theoretically--can keep the ball on the ground and attack up the middle, they'll be outmatched. The Capers have UNB beat in just about every position. If Cape Breton show up to play--and that could be quite a big if--they'll win. Prediction: UNB 0 - 3 Cape Breton.

(H)UdeM Aigles Bleus v. (3)Dalhousie Tigers (Friday, 3:00pm): Despite the much-discussed fan advantage, Dal will very likely win this. Yes, Moncton fans will be loud. They always are, and good on them for it. But the effect is limited. Fans can't account for talent. What could affect this game is Dal's weekend in St. John's. Tyler Lewars scored on Saturday against Memorial, his first AUS goal. And maybe it would have started a streak if only he hadn't picked up a fifth yellow in the game, meaning he's now out of this game. Rumours of team discipline problems abound around the Tigers, on and off the pitch. If the Dal team play the game they can, they should beat Moncton. If they take cards, lose their focus, or get sloppy, the speedy Moncton will punish them. Prediction: Moncton 1 - 2 Dalhousie.

(QF1)Cape Breton Capers v. (1)St. FX X-Men (Saturday, 12:00pm): If Moncton beat Cape Breton they'll play this game instead, and the Capers/V-Reds will play SMU. If our predictions do come to pass, this should be an epic battle of talented, undisciplined teams. This could be the game of the weekend, easily. Rigby, Ian Greedy and Shayne Hollis up front fro CBU and Michael Marousek, Jamar Dixon and Kareem Henry for St. FX. Chris Tournidis against Andrew MacDonald in goal. Both teams have strong defence as well. It should be a bit of a culture clash, with Cape Breton preferring a possession game and X preferring to counter attack. Both teams will be able to play to their strengths. This should be a classic. Prediction: Cape Breton 4 - 4 St. FX; 7 - 6 on penalties.

(QF2)Dalhousie Tigers v. (2)Saint Mary's Huskies (Saturday, 3:00pm): Another potentially excellent game to watch on a Saturday afternoon in...Moncton. Possibly in the rain. When Tiger-recruit-turned-Husky Zach Bauld was sent off at Wickwire field in early October, something changed in the Tigers' season. The 2 - 0 win was a more authentic Tigers performance than the 6 - 1 drubbing at Husky Stadium. Dal have looked stronger and stronger ever since. Tyler Lewars will be eligible for this game and might now have the confidence to stop missing easy goals and instead score easy goals. Saint Mary's have great talent and should make this a fine game. But the Huskies' starters have less playoff experience than Dal's, and Dal come in with last year's AUS defeat on their minds. There's an intangible edge for Dal, and the Tigers will use that to win. Prediction: Saint Mary's 2 - 3 Dalhousie, AET.

(SF1)Cape Breton Capers v. (SF2)Dalhousie Tigers (Sunday, 2:00pm): Sports have a funny way of making stories happen--that's why sports journalism is fun. This was the final last year. It was as sure a thing as St. FX making the final this year. So last year's story resurfaces in 2010. Both teams will have played two games at this point, but both are capable of playing a third. And both are capable of winning. Cape Breton are probably more skilled, but expecting the Capers--who have had a wildly inconsistent season--to get through three games without imploding seems a tall order. There are questions about Dal, too, but with the Tigers it doesn't seem as if there's a soothing, computerized voice dictating a countdown clock in the background, as there is with the Capers. The Tigers have looked a bit stronger in each game. There's every chance of them exorcising their demons after two games. There seems to be less chance of that for the Capers. Prediction: Cape Breton 1 - 2 Dalhousie, AET.

Both tournaments start Friday, where these predictions will likely be proved wrong quite quickly. Debate away in the comments section.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

As It Happened: Dalhousie Tigers (W) v. St. FX X-Women (W)

2010-10-24T14:26:00.000-03:00

By Dylan Matthias

Pregame: Warm-ups are afoot--it's cold enough to be a hockey game out here.

Dal should win this fairly easily--they won 3-0 in Antigonish and they could very easily better than scoreline on home turf at Wickwire.

Dal are missing Katie Richard, Kyla Gunderson, Rieka Santilli and Alannah McLean to injury, meaning Erika Boon is on the bench for the Tigers. Alix Burch is out of action for X.

Starting Line-ups:

Dal: McKenna, Mitchell, Crewe, O'Reilly, MacDonald, Huck, Wallace, Hardy, McKilligan, Landry, Henry.

St. FX: Thompson, Cameron, Ramsden, Desjardins-Lorimer, Zanette, Dragan, MacNeil, Holland, Sunada, Penner, Melong.

Referee: Richard Moses.

Emma Landry looks cold.

1min: Dal kick off and put it straight out of play. Crewe fouls up the first back pass of the day, forcing McKenna to clear for a throw.

3min: Landry just about steals it from Melong but takes a heavy touch. X get possession and Sunada attacks Crewe who overcommits again, forcing Henry to hack clear this time. This could be a long night for Crewe.

4min: Considering it's homecoming weekend, this stadium is utterly dead. Why, oh why do Dal students not support their sports teams?

7min: X have had a huge amount of possession early on. They are doing nothing with it, however.

8min: Stephanie Crewe successfully clears a ball without troubling McKenna.

10min: GOAL! (McKilligan 1) Huck loops a ball over Penner which holds up beautifully for McKilligan. McKilligan, who's been hot of late, hammers it low past Thompson. Could be a long night for Thompson, too.

13min: Penner goes down with a knock to her ankle. We'll have to watch that.

15min: A Dal free kick out wide should make it 2-0, only Landry manages to shoot it off her own leg on the deflection and the ball skitters away.

21min: Landry and McKilligan would be in alone but for a slightly mis-timed run on MacDonald's through pass, forcing an offside.

23min: Penalty to Dal--Landry is brought down trying to shoot. There's no advantage and Mr. Moses calls the penalty. That's a great call.

24min: GOAL! (MacDonald 3) MacDonald smashes it low into the corner. Dal are in full control now. It's hard to emphasize how great a call that was on the penalty. The X men's team watching this game don't think so, but it's a myth that a shot negates the foul. That's a terrific, gutsy advantage call to see if Landry would score and it's one that's not always made, even at the professional level. Fantastic job.

30min: X win a corner off of another bobble by Crewe. Penner loops it behind for a goal kick.

33min: Mallory MacDonald replaces Cameron.

34min: Landry can't control a long ball from Henry. Wallace gets onto it and mishits her shot, which bounces back to Landry, who scores, but from an offside position.

38min: X are getting very little from forward breaks and have lost most of the possession they had at the beginning of the half. McKilligan comes off for Jakisa.

40min: Hardy swings another cross in which Landry misses but Huck runs onto. The Dal full back's shot is drilled low and well wide, but Dal are running most of the chances now.

45min: A rare mistake from Henry gifts Mallory MacDonald a chance. Dal were pressing too far forward and Zanette got in behind Henry to set up MacDonald.

45min: Ramsden floors Mitchell and the ref calls half-time immediately after the free kick.

48min: We're back. Lots of pinging, uncontrolled passes early on here.

51min: Jakisa is sent through on another long pass which St. FX defend poorly. Thompson is quick off her line to beat the speedy Jakisa to it.

53min: Dal have a free kick wide left. MacDonald tests Thompson directlu although the X goalkeeper won't be dropping that one.

56min: Jakisa wins a corner with an enterprising run. Thompson mishandles the ball out for another one which Mitchell drills wide.

60min: Landry, who came out for McKilligan at half time, replaces Jakisa.

62min: Landry wins the ball from Melong again in the area, pushing her in the process. Dal are tearing St. FX apart with simple through passes. Now it's Wallace drilling a shot at Thompson.

65min: GOAL! (Brass 1) A long cross bounces to Brass who completely mishits her shot. Unfortunately, McKenna had already charged off her line to intercept and the loopy shot flies over her and into the net. Of the three goals Dal have have allowed this year, that's got to be the weirdest.

68min: GOAL! (O'Reilly 1) Thompson, so as not to disappoint the fans who wanted a repeat of her performance against Dal earlier in October. Huck floats a cross towards Thompson, who watches it sail right between her hands and onto O'Reilly's foot, giving her a very easy finish.

70min: McKenna, hoping to ease Thompson's feelings, drops one of her own. She was fouled, though, so it's not really the same. Blodgett comes into the game.

75min: Landry misses from less than a yard. Don't ask me how. A cross gets behind Thompson and onto Landry's foot. It might have gone in if she hadn't touched it, actually.

78min: Dal are all over X right now.

79min: Cameron is back on for an injured Brass.

80min: Dal concede a free kick wide left and Blodgett is removed for Wallace, whom she replaced earlier. The free kick is straight to McKenna.

82min: This game is over.

84min: McKilligan is replaced by Vanderlann and McPhee comes on for X, replacing Cameron, I think.

85min: Dal send a corner in which everyone, including Thompson, misses. Mitchell just fails to bang it in at the back post.

87min: Thompson manages to catch a looping ball from Huck.

90min: This has puttered out--X will take their third multi-goal loss in a row and third loss with three conceded. They're dropping faster than university students on homecoming weekend. Yes, I had to make at least one bad homecoming joke.

90+min: Full-time after a poor Dal corner. Easy three points for Dal, although they'll be disappointed with the goal they conceded.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Live: Acadia Axemen (M) v. Dalhousie Tigers (M)

2010-10-16T19:57:00.000-03:00

Join Dylan Matthias at Raymond Field in Wolfville and follow your Tigers on the road.

The blog is after the jump, and will go live at roughly 8:10pm. If you're reading on haligonia.ca, you won't see the window. Just head to the blog itself at http://www.dalsoccerlive.blogspot.com/. We apologise for any technical inconvenience.

Live: Acadia Axewomen (W) v. Dalhousie Tigers (W)

2010-10-16T17:35:00.000-03:00

Join Dylan in Wolfville as he live-blogs the Tigers' visit to Acadia (assuming there's an internet connection for him there).

The blog will go live at 6:00pm and is after the jump. If you're reading on haligonia.ca, certain technical issues prevent you from seeing the event window. If you go to the blog itself at http://www.dalsoccerlive.blogspot.com/, it should be there.

Live: St. FX X-Men (M) v. Dalhousie Tigers (M)

2010-10-02T16:17:00.000-03:00

Dalhousie pull into Antigonish to take on one of the best teams in the country right now: St. FX. They beat SMU 3-2 last weekend. Dal beat SMU 2-0 this weekend. This game should be open and it should be a fine contest. Follow along from about 8pm after the jump.

If you're following us on haligonia.ca, the CoverItLive event will look like a bunch of code right now. If you head over to the blog at http://dalsoccerlive.blogspot.com/ everything should work fine. There's a translation issue, obviously, when the posts get cross-posted to Haligonia.

Live: St. FX X-Women (W) v. Dalhousie Tigers (W)

2010-10-02T15:30:00.000-03:00

Follow the Tigers on the road as they take on the X-Women on Dal Soccer Live. Blog is after the jump.

And if you're reading on haligonia.ca, the CoverItLive window probably looks like a lot of code. You ca see the event on the blog itself--the window doesn't like to make the shift to haligonia.ca. http://dalsoccerlive.blogspot.com/ is your address.

Live: University of New Brunswick Varisty Reds (M) v. Memorial Sea-hawks (M)

2010-10-02T12:32:00.000-03:00

Join Dylan at roughly 3pm for a nice prelude to the Dal game later. The blog is after the jump.

If you're reading on haligonia.ca, you won't be able to see the CoverItLive event because of the way we transfer the posts from the actual blog. If you head to http://dalsoccerlive.blogspot.com/ you should be able to see it just fine.

Live: University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds (W) v. Memorial Seahawks (W)

2010-10-02T12:28:00.000-03:00

Dylan's wrangled himself out of having to cover Dal football this afternoon, so he'll be right here, live-blogging out-of-town AUS soccer from 12:45pm (a deadline which is rapidly approaching which means he'd better stop writing this intro and get on over to CoverItLive and set up this event so he can have time for some quick breakfast during the starting line-ups).

The blog is after the jump. Also, it appears readers on haligonia.ca aren't able to see the embedded CoverItLive box. If you head over to the blog itself at http://dalsoccerlive.blogspot.com/ the window should be there.

As It Happened: Dalhousie Tigers (M) vs. Saint Mary's Huskies (M)

2010-10-01T23:31:00.001-03:00

By: Dylan Matthias

Welcome to Apocalyptic Night, a special event hosted once a year (or, sometimes, it seems, more often these past few games) at Wickwire Field. Dark clouds. Fell light. Epic archrivals with just a light spattering of impending doom for a Tigers team that were embarrassed 6-1 by SMU last Wednesday. Break out the elven armies and troll hordes--there is Fate at stake tonight, or at least a certain amount of cross-town bragging rights, anyway.

Dal are coming off a decent road trip, 0-0 with a somewhat-underachieving-but nevertheless-tricky UPEI side and 2-1 over a probably-not-that-good-but-not-exactly-easy-to-beat-at-home Mt. Allison squad. SMU did not have anywhere near as good a weekend, drawing Cape Breton and losing to Michal Marousek and St. FX in what was, by all accounts, a match-up that had everything you would expect in an AUS 1-2 game.

The armies are marching in:

SMU: Miller, Bauld, Rajaraman, Kodejs, Cordoba, Gigolaj, Coke, Garonis, Kennedy, Sun, Inglis.

Dalhousie: Ur, Rogers, Dalziel, Weymann, Mannix, Beck, Hagen, Haughn, Hawley, Perrotta, Lewars.

Referee: Sean Langille

1min: Dal kick-off. Immediately, SMU get a corner which Coke will deliver. Ur snags Kennedy's weak header and Dal clear, playing into a high wind.

5min: Good to see Dalziel starting. He's been solid this ear and played on the weekend. It's a big improvement over the tenacious but often out of position Fisher. No Hooey yet, though he's on the bench.

6min: Dal are beginning to get some possession now. If they give SMU the ball like they did last Wednesday this'll be a long game.

7min: And Dal do just that, and are lucky to escape a red card, too! Coke sends Kodejs in alone on Ur. The Dal 'keeper charges out and fouls Kodejs, who was in 1v1 from 40 yards. There is no card.

9min: Now Kodejs and Rogers clash, with lots of aggressive chit-chatting and chest bumping. Still no cards, which is amazing, really.

12min: Hagen goes on a tearing foray into SMU territory, but he eventually loses control of the ball.

14min: Miller makes a mess of a Rogers cross with Perrotta hovering dangerously.

17min: A collection of spandex-covered Dal residence supporters have arrived and are wandering onto the field.

19min: Bauld assaults Beck with a very silly challenge and is cautioned. 85 yards from his own net there, was Bauld.

21min: Hawley bands a 30 yard shot over the net by 10 yards. Now Lewars pops up in the box for a shot, but is called offside before he can let loose.

24min: Hawley, who's done very little so far, is replaced by Mazurkiewich.

25min: SMU have a free kick. It eventually falls to an offside Inglis.

29min: Cordoba's not done a lot, but Ian Coke has, stealing the ball from Haughn, I think, before sliding it slightly behind Inglis, who hesitates before losing possession to a brilliant tackle from Weymann.

31min: SMU free kick out wide. Cordoba whips it on goal and the wind tests Ur, who deflects it out for a corner. Dal are lucky he's still on, of course, but they'll take his talent here.

34min: Perrotta turns off of Cordoba, who doesn't exactly do a lot of tracking back afterwards, but is halted in his run by Rajaraman, who made a terrific sliding tackle there.

35min: Beck puts a reaction shot wide and hight. Dal are competiting, though.

37min: And again Dal get away with a possible red card! This time, Dalziel knocks down Cordoba on a clear break. Cordoba was in for sure after beating Mannix and with his pace and ability, that's a pretty good-looking opportunity but for the blatant foul, for which Dalziel is only cautioned. SMU get very little from the free kick.

42min: Cordoba tracks back, which is a nice change.

44min: Dal have looked a lot more comfortable at home so far against SMU.

45min: Mazurkiewich nips in and looks to have Miller in his pocket before the British 'keeper slides in to clear very nicely. Lewars then pops up offside again.

45+1min: Milled goes fishing for another cross, but Lewars cant capitalize. For all the plaudits Miller has received, he doesn't look great on high balls. Same last week, too.

45+2min: Half-time, and this is a tightly-poised game. Quite open, and not too hard to watch despite the spandex-clad res students. We'll likely see Hutchison in the second half.

46min: Second half begins. Will we see Gigolaj do anything in this half? Maybe?

48min: Dal win a corner, which Haughn will take. Rogers leaps in at the back post and Miller makes a brilliant reaction save at the base of his post.

53min: Slow start to the half.

55min: Mannix puts a shot over towards the corner flag, which Lewars is actually able to keep in play before curling a cross behind for a goal kick.

57min: SMU play the ball around the midfield for awhile before giving it to Mannix so he can create a chance for Inglis. Inglis can't quite get free for a shot in the box. The incredibly ineffective Gigolaj is yanked for Adam Downie.

60min: Dalziel lunges into Inglis and misses--he would surely have been off on a second yellow is he'd made contact. Inglis now gets space and blasts a shot just past the fingers of Ur and also just past the post.

62min: Corner to SMU, which Kennedy tries to cross in only to win another corner. Cordoba will take this one and Rogers clears upfield.

63min: And Bauld is gone! Red card! On the ensuing break, Lewars speeds down the wing until Bauld, on a yellow card, lunges into a challenge that was never, ever anywhere near the ball and was only going to take out Lewars with considerable force. Lewars goes flying and stays down and Bauld picks up a second very easy yellow card from the ref. Dal have the advantage now, and will not be unhappy to see Pat Nearing's recruit who decided to transfer to SMU last minute sent off. During all the fuss, Perrotta is removed for Hutchison. Kennedy has words for the ref about the decision--I can't possibly figure how he could argue either card--and is lucky not to be booked for dissent.

66min: Dal finally take the free kick and Miller punches it to Hagen, who loops his shot over the goal.

67min: Lewars is body-checked off the ball by Kodejs as he tried to beat Miller to it.

69min: Inglis is booked for a bad lunge into Rogers from behind.

72min: Haughn, the defensive-minded centre-mid for Dal, is pulled off for JP Rodriguez, an more attacking-minded midfielder. Hagen tries a 25-yard shot which misses,

75min: Cordoba is set free by Garonis, but Mannix does well to hold him off and clear.

76min: Inglis is sent clear past a pressing Dal back four. Ur, proactive as ever, is off his line to clear.

77min: Inglis lunges for a Cordoba cross in the box after Garonis sent the winger into space. Inglis goes down honking about a penalty but won't get that one in a million years. Beck is replaced by Ezurike, another attacking sub.

80min: GOAL! (Hutchison 2): Miller makes a mistake coming for a simple through pass and Hutchison gets onto it first, evading the 'keeper before putting it home very cooly indeed for the 1-0 lead. SMU pull of Coke for Shamout.

82min: SMU come right back with Cordoba, who crosses for Inglis, who somehow fails to bundle it from two yards out. Twice.

85min: Dal are sitting back and letting Zach Bauld's indiscretion do its work.

87min: Cordoba goes down softly and rolls around for awhile. Downie lets his feelings on an offside call be loudly known with an accompanied punch of air. Lewars comes off for Dalziel.

90min: GOAL! (Hagen 6): Hagen taps home another sitter after some great work by Hutchison, who couldn't beat his defender for pace. Instead of losing possession, the Tigers' striker pulled the ball back and rolled it into the path of Hagen, who knocked it in easily.

90+2min: The full-time whistle is blown and Dal come out of this whole thing looking quite good and having exacted some nice revenge for that 6-1 blowout. And they did it all while inflicting a little doom of their own, which fits our theme for tonight perfectly.

Dal travel to St. FX tomorrow and we'll live-blog that one for you right here. SMU have the rest of the weekend off and face Memorial next week.

That's all from me tonight. See you tomorrow around 1pm for the UNB-Memorial women's game, just 'cause we like watching out of town games, too.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Live: Saint Mary's Huskies (M) v. Dalhousie Tigers (M)

2010-09-22T15:10:00.000-03:00

Hello, and welcome. This blog will go live at either 7:00pm or whenever the women's game ends--whichever happens first.

Gazette Sports writer Armaan Ahluwalia will be providing our live commentary for the match while Dylan is off doing colour commentary for the game on www.haligonia.ca. Feel free to chat along right here.

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=a353fb54ee" &amp;gt;Live: AUS Men's Soccer: Saint Mary's University Huskies v. Dalhousie Tigers&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Live: St. Mary's Huskies (W) v. Dalhousie Tigers (W)--5:00pm, Husky Stadium

2010-09-22T15:04:00.002-03:00

Join us live at 4:45pm as Armaan Ahluwalia takes us through another chapter in the SMU-Dal rivalry tonight at Husky Stadium.

It's his first time doing live-blogging, so drop in and say hi.

You can also watch the live webcast at www.haligonia.ca. Watch and chat at the same time! Break down technical barriers! Engage in new journalism!

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=9b32c98b18" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Live AUS Women's Soccer: Saint Mary's University Huskies v. Dalhouise Tigers&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

As It Happened: UKC Blue Devils (M) v. UNB Saint John Seawolves (M)

2010-09-20T22:07:00.000-03:00

By: Dylan Matthias

Big game. King's really need a win after losing to Holland College in the opener and St. Thomas yesterday, 1-0. They've beaten NSAC, but most of the better teams will beat NSAC this year.

1min: King's kick off.

3min: There may be some statement-making this afternoon. Watch out.

6min: UNBSJ #7 is in, but offside. Naturally, he disagrees.

11min: UNBSJ #15 is chewed out by the ref, presumably for dissent.

12min: GOAL! (Burleton). Anders Peacock is sent in down the flank on a long ball. He crosses it past the 'keeper and straight to a leaping Sam Burleton, who taps it in.

14min: UNBSJ #14 strikes a thunderng shot just over Justin Pyne's crossbar.

16min: UNBSJ #5 is chewed out by the ref for hauling down Michael Curci. No card, but it's coming for #5.

19min: Even game so far--but King's may have an edge. CJ Young goes off on the ref for a meaningless foul by Peacock.

20min: UNBSJ work some pressure off the free kick in midfield. Nothing comes of it.

21min: Chris Etmanski is booked for dissent. King's are losing the plot very quickly, here.

23min: Burleton nods a header over, but he's been working very hard so far and might have another in him.

25min: A long free kick is punched away by the UNBSJ 'keeper. Burleton was lurking again, there.

29min: Burleton rolls a deflected shot. The game's settled down again.

31min: Burleton picks up a loose ball and smashes it off of the 'keeper. He's been everywhere, Burleton.

33min: UNBSJ #14 clatters Pyne after a nice claim by the King's goalkeeper. Parlsey breaks fairly quickly the other was and is held back. UNBSJ #2 boots the ball away and escapes with a warning.

35min: UNBSJ work a nice corner and test Pyne. Burleton has also been booked, now, for making his opinion of the initial corner kick decision known. I'll be amazed if King's finish with 11 men and a coach.

40min: UNBSJ #2 clips Parsley in the knee and is booked. That involved studs.

42min: UNBSJ #7 gets by Ken Wallingford and Pyne makes a great save, colliding with #7 in the process. Both of them are feeling the effects of that collision.

43min: UNBSJ #7 is done, his right leg does not look good. #12 enters in his place.

45min: Burleton has another go, looking low on the 'keeper and drawing out a good save. Two minutes added on.

45+2min: Smashing shot from UNBSJ #11--that grazed the bar as Pyne sailed by.

45+3min: Good claim by the UNBSJ 'keeper with Burleton closing fast.

45+4min: The ref looks at his watch, realises what time it is, and calls the half.

King's started very well, then completely lost the plot in the first half. They're focussing on everything but the game--which is what they need to think about.

UNBSJ take their time getting back on the field.

46min: UNBSJ kick off, and a collision ensues. Again, I can see a red card before this is done.

47min: King's #12 (Jacob Che, I think) is in at the half, for someone. Not sure who.

49min: UNBSJ #11 has a bloody nose and has come off to be attended to.

50min: Parsley has a forceful collision with UNBSJ #19. I missed that one, but the sound was like a gun going off.

52min: Etmanski makes a mess of a pass to him and forces Pyne into a save.

54min: UNBSJ #10 is booked for a challenge against Etmanski, which I didn't see through a mob of players.

55min: Kings' #3 (possibly Moataz Al-Hussaini, though I could well be wrong) is in alone before mishandling the ball on the turf.

57min: UNBSJ #7 has come back on at the half, I think. Obviously he wasn't as badly hurt as I thought.

58min: The UNBSJ goalkeeper misses a hard cross at the six yard box but no one in blue can reach it in time.

59min: UNBSJ swap #14 for #3.

62min: This game is far from out of reach for UNBSJ, who have had enough chances to scroe. King's have regained some composure, but this lead is a slim one.

65min: Burleton out for Mark Higgins. UNBSJ get a chance shortly after and #19 blazes a shot over from close range--dangerously close range.

67min: UNBSJ just about pass it into their own net with one of the most contrived back pass sequences I have ever seen.

68min: Parsley's out for Neil MacIntyre. Al-Hussaini plays a nice pass that Higgins just can't control for a shot.

72min: UNBSJ have a corner, but King's counter quickly through Peacock. His cross is too far for Higgins, but MacIntyre sprints in, trying to steer it around the hesitant 'keeper. He misses.

75min: Great onside run from UNSJ #7, for which he earns a corner. It's headed wide.

76min: UNBSJ #7 brings another ball down and nearly tees up the newly introduced UNBSJ #4, who miscontrols, allowing King's to clear.

78min: UNBSJ are playing a lot of longer balls through #7 and it's working.

80min: Peacock picks out a wide open MacIntyre on a nice cross, but the King's winger heads wide. MacIntyre's been a tad off form this year so far, compared to his high-flying 2009 season.

82min: Free kick to UNBSJ 35-odd yards out. #19 goes for goal and misses by a quite staggering distance. There's a feeling in the stands that UNBSJ are going to tie this--I can sense it, too.

83min: Al-Hussaini slides it to King's #10, but the 'keeper cuts the move out with a nice strip. They quickly counter-attack and win a free kick in midfield. Pyne comes for it and runs over #19, who deflected it inches wide. Pyne's probably lucky not to give away a penalty there--he didn't get the ball. #19 receives treatment.

86min: Higgins gets brought down in the box and is told to get up. Now UNBSJ #19 is down on a fast break and is also waved up--quite rightly, too--he dove.

88min: Red card King's! Etmanski blocks #10 just outside the area and he walks with a second yellow. And his first was for dissent, too. The free kick is into the wall--twice. UNBSJ will surge forward with the extra man.

90+2min: Tere will be some stoppage time, what with the injuries and cards.

90+3min: UNBSJ are pressing, but look a bit at odds tactically against 10 men. King's have the ball and shield it in the corner. MacIntyre is booked for dissenting another corner non-call.

90+5min: UNBSJ with a deep corner. It's straight behind, which is terribly disappointing.

90+6min: Full-time, and most of the King's team leave with a card and three points. That's the crucial part, at this stage--they came needing points and they have the points. Not the prettiest performances, but they'll do.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

As It Happened: UKC Blue Devils (W) v. UNB Saint John Seawolves (W)

2010-09-20T21:34:00.000-03:00

By: Dylan Matthias

Hello to all wet Haligonians and all other wet people everywhere. Today, I am one of you. This misty-like rain is covering Wickwire Field. It doesn't make you actively wet, but after thirty minutes, you feel like you're coming out of the shower and you don't dry.

I have head of starting line-ups and I have laughed at them. It would appear as though Sarah Kraus has eaten the line-up sheet, as I can't find them anywhere online. She's been devouring opposing attacks since 2008. I'll be here all night, folks. I've managed to piece together most of King's from recognition or from a list given to me by Jamie Trueland, one of the players. I still don't know who they're goalkeeper is--Bishop is gone. I've tried to contact them and received no response. UNBSJ are completely non-existent. ACAA and CCAA haven't seen fit to post them before the start of the season.

1min: King's kick-off in blue vs. UNBSJ in Liverpudlian red.

2min: Colleen MacDonald debuts for King's tonight, adding another chapter to one of the greater transfer sagas since Cesc Fabregas sort of not really didn't kind of want to go to Barca. Rumour has it King's have set a record fee for her services, sending the Tigers a bottle of sherry and a copy of Plato's Republic for the centre half.

4min: King's win a couple of corners from which much yelling and few chances emerge. The chances of us seeing a vintage King's women mind-numbing 0-0 draw today have increased to 70%.

5min: King's lash in a shot off a well-worked free kick. UNBSJ #10 nearly pulls a Carragher and deflects in into her own net. It rolls just wide. Corner.

8min: The rain smells distinctly of the Halifax harbour ferries. I don't know what to think of that.

9min: King's with 10 or so linked passes which results in a nice shot from Allie Smith, although the 'keeper saves well.

13min: Irene Flatley has a low drive turned away and Smith follows up by firing straight through the goalkeeper and out the other side for a corner.

14min: The corner is cleared by UNBSJ #10, who does, in fact, bear a passing resemblance to Jamie Carragher, in as much as a 5'8" female ACAA soccer player can.

19min: UNBSJ #8 loops a free kick to Kings' new 'keeper from 25 yards out.

22min: Smith cuts to the middle before shooting, a hesitation that may have cost her a goal. The 'keeper palms her shot away after getting set.

24min: Smith gets in again before taking a heavy touch and gifting the ball to the 'keeper.

25min: Flatley breaks in an tests UNBSJ's goalkeeper again. Smith gets the rebound at waist-height and deflects it wide.

28min: Flatley cuts past two defenders and shoots low and wide. She should have scored and she knows it.

31min: Sarah Wojcik takes a wallop of a tackle just outside the box. The ball falls to Smith, who smashes a cross-goal shot which the 'keeper yet again saves beautifully.

34min: Carragher has mis-hit another roller perilously close to her own goal. And, in true Carragher fashion, she looks like she's pulled something in her leg doing it.

35min: Smith tests the 'keeper again. Another save.

40min: UNBSJ #21 only words this half have been "Oh, shit." Pretty much sums up UNBSJ's half so far, that.

45+2min: The level of boredom has reached a dangerous level--I'm now humming Bob Dylan songs in the rain. Kings' #12 (who may be Gillian Clarke, also of Dal, there's no way to be sure right now) misses a chance and the ref blows for half-time.

In truth, King's have run the game and created more chances than I'm really giving them credit for. It's their game to win.

My pages have turned to pulp.

47min: Second half's on. I just had a chat with King's president Bill Barker, who's dropped in to watch the team and take some photos.

50min: Lucie Edwardson has a lurching shot which misses the goal by some considerable distance.

52min: UNBSJ #21 comes forward and fires a shot that could probably be described by "Oh, shit."

53min: Edwardson, who's replaced Kelly Cousens, by the way, shoots off of Flatley. UNBSJ's 'keeper saves again.

54min: King's #12 steals the ball and puts a shot out for a throw in. I'll be humming Leonard Cohen before long.

59min: UNBSJ have come into the second half a bit and are beginning to play it around Kings' goal. Kings' 'keeper, who we do know is called Rebecca, comes to claim a high ball and just beats UNBSJ #15 to it.

61min: Edwardson is off, Cousens on.

65min: Cousens just fails to pick out a tiring Flatley. Both teams did play yesterday.

67min: Marika McKenzie makes a crafty move to a promising position before crossing into touch.

68min: UNBSJ handle the ball 30 yards out. Kraus looks for goal and puts it straight at the 'keeper.

71min: UNBSJ #10 sprints forward at a very un-Carragher-like pace to reach a ball deep on the right. She then plays it straight into touch.

72min: Smith puts a badly angled shot on goal, which the 'keeper fumbles. King's follow up with two more chances, one of which Wojcik really should have scored until she hesitated and tried to pass instead.

75min: King's win a corner on an enterprising run from Flatley. It's drilled in and Kings' #12 just misses a near post header.

78min: Wojcik gets deep again and zips it back for #12. She's got time and sizes up the shot, but the 'keeper snaffles it safely.

80min: King's have a corner, which Kraus will deliver. McKenzie gets a glance of a head on it, but not enough to direct it.

83min: UNBSJ #6 flattens Flatley out wide and is given priority spacing in the ref's book for it.

88min: King's have been attacking hard for the last few minutes. McKenzie has an optimistic go from 35 yards and nearly scores.

90min: King's have 10 players high for a corner. It's a poor delivery, but they keep possession. A Kraus shot is blocked, UNBSJ clear, and full-time is called.

I'm off to cover the men's game while humming John Denver. Toodles.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Setting the Record Straight: A Few Updates After a Long Week

2010-09-17T16:37:00.002-03:00

By: Dylan Matthias

A few things happened over the weekend: Colleen MacDonald and Gillian Clarke of the Dal women's team transferred to King's. Zach Bauld, initially recruited by Dal, is now at SMU. It's wilder than late August in the EPL.

This weekend sees the Tigers host a Cape Breton program whose teams suffered three major upset losses on the weekend to UPEI and MUN. SSN will have the game with Dal Soccer Live blogger Dylan Matthias providing colour commentary with Bill McLean. You can see the games at Wickwire field on Saturday at 5pm and 7:15pm.

Dal's men will look to make amends for a nervy 2-2 draw with Moncton that could have been a loss until Ross Hagen converted a last gasp penalty. The women lost Reika Santilli on Saturday to a broken tibia, and will rely on Kate MacDonald and Katie Richard to provide offense now Jeanette Huck must drop to right back.

On Saturday, King's head to Burnside to take on St. Thomas, then return home on Sunday to host UNB Saint John. The Blue Devils started the season in disappointing fashion as the women drew 0-0 with Holland College and the men lost 5-2 to their playoff foes from last fall. The Blue Devils play Saturday at 6pm and 8pm and Sunday at 11am and 1pm.

We hope to bring you much more university soccer coverage in the next few weeks once Dylan has internet in his apartment on Monday. Weekend wraps, player ratings, As It Happened, previews, and all our other material will be back once Dylan can write it while waiting for the kettle to boil.

Predicted starting line-ups against CBU (and last week proved exactly how silly these will make us look, but they're too fun not to do):

Men:

----------Hutchison--------Lewars------------
----Rajan-----Hagen-----Haughn-----Hart--
---Hooey-----Weymann-----Rogers----Dalziel
------------------------Ur--------------------------

Mazurkiewich could replace Hart if he's healthy, we were hearing he may be banged up on the weekend. Abuchie Ezurike could feature after a strong performance last weekend, but a start might be a little much.

Women:

-----Richard-----MacDonald-------
----Landry-----Wallace----O'Reilly--
-----------------Mitchell---------------
----Vanderlaan---Crewe---Henry----Huck
---------------------McKenna--------------

The women are hurting a bit right now, but Vanderlaan was a nice surprise last weekend. And Emma Landry scored! I'm still waiting to see a flash of Bianca Jakisa.

Cape Breton players to watch: For the men, everything keys on Andrew Rigby until Keishen Bean pops up and scores. They've also added a new striker (not that the CBU website would have told you). The women have the ever-dangerous Erika Lannon and Alyssa Budhoo scoring goals. Both Dal teams will have to defend tightly and Taryn McKenna should be forced to make saves this week.

Tune in to SSN Canada for game coverage. We'll have breakdown as soon as Dylan's internet is plugged in on Monday.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Previewing the Weekend: Dalhousie - Acadia

2010-09-10T15:56:00.002-03:00

By: Dylan Matthias

We here at Dal Soccer Live have been counting down the days. And it's finally here--the start of the AUS soccer season. Dalhousie and Acadia on Wickwire Field. Here's hoping it doesn't rain.

The storylines are there. The 1pm women's game will be Amit Batra's first game in charge of Acadia after leading MSVU to two nearly undefeated seasons. Rookies Charlotte Nutt and Daphne Wallace will be playing against one another, after having been teammates in Ottawa.

The women's game should be fairly exciting. Dal have to be the favourites, but Acadia's women's program is stronger than its men's in soccer and this game isn't a foregone conclusion. In addition, lost points for Dal mean lost ground against CBU in the standings.

The men's game is a smoother start for a Dal team that looked only okay (and like they missed injured Hamzeh Afani) in their friendly against SMU. Acadia's men's program has been growing slowly since it was reinstated in 2006. Acadia are likely to be a bit better than last year, but unlikely to be a real threat to Dal.

The major trick for Dal will be scoring without Michel Daoust and Afani (who hurt his knee playing NSSL soccer this summer and is out for the season). It will fall to rookie Tyler Lewars and probably Wes Hawley and/or the erratic Julian Perrotta to score.

Here are our Dal Soccer Live (highly unofficial and likely to be proven wrong tomorrow) projected starting line-ups for both men and women:

Women:

-----------Richard-------Huck----------
----------------K. MacDonald------------------------
----Blodgett---------------------McKilligan-----
-----------------Wallace------------------------
--McLean-----C. MacDonald-----Henry----Santilli-

Santilli started at full back against SMU and looked comfortable. Expect Kate MacDonald to drop back a fair bit and pick up the ball. Blodgett may not start and Huck, Kate MacDonald, and Santilli may rotate from what we have. Expect Taryn McKenna in goal.

Men:

---------Perrotta---------Lewars---------
----Negulic---Hagen----Haughn------Beck--
---Hooey-----Weymann----Rogers---Mannix--

Lewars is a small but strong forward, as is Perrotta, but Nearing started with them against SMU before bringing in Hawley. Hooey played well enough to earn a start in exhibition play, and Dal don't have many other options at fullback. Ur will very likely start in goal.

We'll try and bring you opponents projected line-ups throughout the year, but without confirmed rosters, we'd just be making ourselves look even more foolish than projected line-ups will inevitably make us look come game time.

See you at Wickwire Field.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Breaking Down Batra's Recruits: Acadia Women's Soccer

2010-09-10T15:26:00.004-03:00

By: Dylan Matthias

The Acadia women's recruits have been in for about a week (sorry, sorry) and we'll take a moment before their opener against Dal on Saturday to break them down.

The group is big on Nova Scotia provincial team players, adding Alana Fairfax, Erica McAdam, and Julia McKinnon. McAdam is a midfielder and McKinnon a goalkeeper. Fairfax, as far as we can surmise, is probably a striker given how often she pops up in various scoring summaries of games she's played in.

The recruits also include Charlotte Nutt of the Ottawa Fury U-17 program, the same program which produced Tyler Lewars and Daphne Wallace of Dal. Wallace and Nutt will likely meet on Saturday.

New head coach Amit Batra has also added two transfer players from Lakehead University in Raya Puchalski and Brittany Coulson. Lakehead does not have a varsity women's soccer team.

Also added are goalkeeper Carrie Wood, defender Kelsey Hennessy, and New Brunswickan Jenn Durette.

With the likely graduation of Stephanie Moignard, the addition of two goalkeepers makes sense. The team included Shari-Lee Castello and Leigh Doyle in goal last year, but neither saw frequent action.

Fairfax and McKinnon provide attacking options for Batra, whose Mount St. Vincent team never struggled to score. If he uses a 4-3-3 formation as he frequently used at MSVU, then expect the recruits to see some pitch time.

Given that Batra was hired in June, it's hard to know how much of a stamp he's been able to put on this recruiting year. It seems prudent to give him at least a season to build the team. That said, this side won't be any worse than last year and may be (especially if Batra's Acadia is as tactically aware as Batra's MSVU) considerably better.

Acadia will lose several players to eligibility but have a lot of young blood as well, some of whom did see time last year and some of whom showed some talent. Becca Stunz, Michelle Dve, Lauren Landry, and several other competent rookies should contribute this year.

Overall recruiting grade: B. It's not a great class, but it should be solid enough, and we'll take it easy given the coaching change. Acadia aren't likely to win AUS, but they'll be an interesting opponent for Dal on Saturday.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

As It Happened: Preseason: Dalhousie (M) v. Saint Mary's Huskies (M)

2010-09-03T00:25:00.000-03:00

By Dylan Matthias

Hello, and welcome to the men. In coming weeks, we will strive to have minute-by-minute photos. Not this week. Please also remember that this is preseason, so we don't have formal rosters yet. Some names may be off. Where we're unsure, we'll just use a shirt number.

1min: Kick-off to Dal. SMU win a throw immediately.

2min: Weymann owns SMU 14, but his long punt reaches an offside Tyler Lewars.

3min: The Dal left flank goes on a journey to Mars, leaving SMU 10 free to run at Ur. Ur scrambles it clear and SMU roll a follow-up wide. Dal break the other way and go offside again.

4min: Free kick to Dal, 30 yards out. SMU delay by encroaching. The cross comes to naught.

10min: Shane Rajaraman (not sure which) is in acres of space on the left, mainly because he's offside.

11min: This time Rajaraman is onside, but his poorly angled shot is way over the net.

12min: Lewars breaks past SMU 20 and instantly cojntrols before blazing a shot just over. That's how to make a first impression. Talent, we have.

13min: Dal #5 (possibly Zach Bauld) gets skinned down the left, but Dal recover.

16min: SMU 19 has the ball in the net, but the flag had stopped the well before the shot.

18min: SMU with some pressure off a #10 (probably Jhonattan Cordoba) run, but a timely punch from Ur averts the danger.

20min: SMU free kick, wide right. Cordoba's ball falls to SMU 11 and his curler is fingered wide by Ur.

21min: Water break. And changes for Dal, as Hawley and #9 enter. SMU look unchanged. Hawley's first touch of the season is dreadful.

22min: Dal win a wide free kick on the left. It's cleared by SMU 19.

28min: After a lull, SMU pull off #7 and #8 for #15 and #14.

31min: Cordoba (?) pulls back Weymann as the Dal defender tracks back. There's a foul going Dal's way, but Weymann makes sure Cordoba goes down hard. The physio's out now.

33min: This may be a serious injury, actually, though it looked like an innocuous fall. Cordoba hasn't moved much yet.

34min: 5 Huskies help him from the field. Not sure what happened there, looked like he maybe twisted awkwardly as he tried to pull Weymann.

36min: #5 is fouled away from the ball, I believe by SMU 17. That looked somewhat nasty.

39min: We're hearing whispers that Cordoba may have a broken leg, which if true, is very bad news for SMU. He's an excellent player who would be out for the season.

41min: Dal #23 wins the ball from SMU #3 legally, only to be flattened with a push. #3 is warned for his trouble. This has gotten somewhat chippy.

42min: SMU #20 tries one of those incredibly ill-advised backpasses and it's predictably way too short. SMU's goalkeeper slides to clear it--barely.

43min: Half-time, I guess.

Dal have looked like a team missing Hamzeh Afani due to knee surgery. They also look like they are used to relying on Michel Daoust to score. Lewars looks intriguing, very Daoust-like, but stronger. He'll need time to adjust to the older players, though.

Cordoba still hasn't left the field, but is propped up behind the goal. He looks in some pain.

46min: SMU kick-off. Mazurkiewich, who missed most of last year due to injury, is in for Dal. Perrotta has come out. Kironde (?) is in, as is Kieran Hooey. Mannix looks like he's come in at right back, and #2 has replaced #6 in defense. Weymann sticks around. Hawley's out for Andrew Hutchison. No idea who SMU brought in, though there don't look to be many changes.

48min: Hooey plays with a lot of tenacity. Looks like a definite improvement at left-back. SMU have come out much better and win a corner off of a decent break. Dal force another one, and clear it properly this time.

49min: Kironde is beating SMU 18 to a loose ball when #18 holds him back. Kironde had that and a lot of space, too. That's a very cynical uncalled foul.

50min: SMU win a corner and swap #7 for #8 before wasting it.

51min: Dal are fouling a lot down the right side, and both #13 and #23 are on the ref's radar now.

52min: Dal concede another rather cheap corner down the right. It's put behind by Dal's #23, who may or may not be Luke Thompson. SMU do absolutely nothing with this or the next corner.

54min: Cordoba is now being moved, very slowly, off the field. On the pitch, SMU go offside.

56min: SMU #15 gets in acres of space as Hooey forgets he's playing full-back for a moment. #19 mis-hits the header from the cross and Dal clear rather scrappily.

59min: Hutchison is brought down and gets up slowly. Dal have a free kick 45 yards out, from which they quite predictably get very little.

60min: Mazurkiewich wins a corner which everyone misses in the box. Took a nick off of a SMU player, so Dal have another corner. Nothing much comes of it.

63min: SMU #17 collects a bounce and is in on Power until Dal #6 catches him. Mazurkiewich goes the other way quickly and wins a corner after being bodychecked by SMU #15. Dal work some possession, but can't find a shot.

64min: Hutchison turns #5 and wins another corner.

65min: It looks like we are playing full time in this one. Here's another water break, though.

67min: We're back. Dal have Lewars back on, along with Perrotta and Hagen.

69min: Dal do look a much more comfortable team when they play with possession. They're quite good. More patience and a bit of killer touch is needed, though.

70min: Hooey plays hard, but he's never quiet, either. Talkative doesn't begin to describe him. He's the most entertaining left-back Dal have had in years.

73min: Dal are coming on a bit, and SMU are making the odd mistake, leaving Dal to find some space. In other news, Kironde is now on RefWatch, too.

74min: A SMU cross is overhit. Lewards fouls and is also warned.

75min: Hagen tests SMU's goalkeeper from 20 yards. It's not the sort of effort that usually goes in.

76min: SMU #5 tries a whal of a shot from 40 yards and he isn't all that far off, either. Missed by about 5 feet, and that had Colin Power a bit worried. Kironde off for #7.

78min: Dal escape after a cross bounces rather simply to SMU #12 in the box. Had he hit it first time, he might have scored. Instead, he hesitated and took a touch, which cost him the chance.

79min: Weymann's taken a knock and goes off for #5. Weymann'll be fine, that looked pretty precautionary.

83min: SMU #21 has a go at a loopy cross, but he misses on the header. Lots of space in the Dal back line, though.

84min: SMU have subbed, but I didn't see it.

85min: Another cross from the left into the Dal box is hazily dealt with by Dal, who look more than a bit preseason at the moment.

86min: Another SMU cross, but this one is well cleared by Power, who replaced Ur at half-time, if you're wondering.

87min: Power fumbles in a fairly creative manner but recovers before it can approach anything near dangerous.

88min: The ref calls time on our second 0-0 of the afternoon. Dal look like they're in preseason form, but there are some good pieces there, even without Afani for the season. SMU, however, look like a team with a purpose. They attacked quick and hard and won't be as easy a team to beat as they were last year. If Cordoba does have a broken leg, though (and, assuming it was him, he didn't look good) then they've lost a key player. Either way, the rivalry is good and alive for 2010. It resumes Wednesday, September 22nd.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

As It Happened: Pre-Season: Dalhousie (W) v. Saint Mary's Huskies (W)

2010-09-02T23:34:00.001-03:00

By Dylan Matthias

(Dal Soccer Live likes to arrive fashionably late because we feel it makes us look like the highly swanky, very busy, I-have-a-BlackBerry-on-ALL-the-time mainstream media we are trained to be. But today, we just ran into a big traffic snafu on the MacDonald bridge. So this game started for us in the third minute.)

4min: SMU have very little early possession as we pick this game up late. Looks like McKenna's starting in goal for Dal, Richard and Huck up front. Kate MacDonald, O"Reilly, Santilli, McKilligan, Colleen MacDonald, Henry, and #2 arranged all over the field. It looks vaguely 4-4-2ish with a diamond midfield. Santilli's playing right back, which is odd. Please bear in mind we don't have confirmed rosters yet, so these names might be slightly off. Where we don't know, we'll just put the shirt number.

7min: SMU 19 has a 23-yard effort which flies high and wide.

11min: Pretty much a starting line-up for Dal today, I would assume. Some talent out there, at least to start.

15min: Unbelievably slow game so far, but given the heat, that's not surprising. 34 celsius today.

16min: Richard beats SMU's goalkeeper and crosses for Huck, who can't reach it. SMU clear.

19min: Water break.

25min: Landry is in, as is Gunderson. The SMU 'keeper drops a simple shot and Huck misses a wide open net.

26min: Crewe is also in for McLean. Rookie recruit Daphne Wallace is in for O'Reilly.

27min: Hardy (?) drives a long ball into the SMU box, which may well have been going in until Landry headed it 20 feet wide. Good to see Landry's back.

28min: Richard out and Bianca Jakisa in.

31min: Crewe gets caught in possession when she really shouldn't have. Henry recovers. Crewe has drifted to the centre a bit and Colleen MacDonald is now playing defensive midfield.

33min: Colleen MacDonald and Huck out for Kate MacDonald and O'Reilly. O'Reilly's sitting quite deep, here.

34min: Landry nearly sets up Kate MacDonald, but her shot is fluffed and Landry recollects it from an offside position.

36min: It looks as though Lousie Yeon (?) is now in goal for Dal. At least, it doesn't look like McKenna. Rosters will be out next week sometime.

39min: O'Reilly loops a beautiful short chip for Kate MacDonald, which the Tigers' striker just can't get a foot on. Jakisa, who has had maybe two touches, is withdrawn for Katie Richard.

40min: Kate MacDonald blasts a cross from the right and SMU's new goalkeeper palms it just out of danger.

42min: Richard looks low from the right flank, and the goalkeeper parries it out of play. The corner comes to nothing.

45min: Dal win a corner on a nothing play that SMU 15 cleared out poorly. SMU deal with MacDonald's cross very badly, but no one in white can capitalize.

49min: Half-time. Dal haven't exactly been inspired here, but there have been occasional nice touches and some good forward passing. Would like to see a little more support for the strikers, but at the moment they are in the ascendancy. SMU, much like this fixture last year, look torrid.

Hutchison's been rotating the squad, understandably given the heat. He has another game against CBU and another one against SMU coming up.

The second half's a-comin'. SMU have put their first goalkeeper back in goal, which is a good idea after the other one's performance. Dal look unchanged, more or less, though McLean is back in.

47min: SMU win a corner and McLean heads clear without pulling her groin.

49min: Landry is in on goal before being called offside. Too close to call from my angle, but the assistant was right in front of it.

50min: Dal keep the assistant busy with another offside offence. Hutchison doesn't like either of them.

52min: SMU 2 mishandles giving Landry a chance before responding by pushing her off the ball. Then she does the same thing again to Kate MacDonald.

53min: The SMU 'keeper handles outside the area and isn't booked despite Landry's somewhat immediate presence.

54min: Dal look a lot more cohesive here.

55min: Richard and Kate MacDonald make way for Jakisa and McKilligan.

57min: SMU make two changes, can't see who and I don't have a roster so it doesn't matter very much, anyway.

58min: A SMU corner is headed wide by #17 in front of Dal's net.

62min: Wallace holds off SMU 19 and slides it to Jakisa, who can't flick it past the 'keeper, who makes a good save there.

63min: Wallace and O'Reilly off, Santilli and Gunderson on. Dal have a corner, but SMU clear.

67min: SMU win a corner which Yeon (?) fumbles. Dal clear, mostly because SMU can't be bothered to score.

67min: At the coaches request, the ref calls time. No one needs to get hurt in this heat. 0-0, same as last year. Hutchison won't be happy; he wasn't last year, either. Dal should really be beating SMU, who are a playoff bubble team at best. CBU will be harder than this. That said, it's a friendly result, and it doesn't mean much. See you next time.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Interview with Tiger's Soccer on the Bill McLean Sports Show Tuesday Morning

2010-08-30T16:40:00.001-03:00

In a shameless bit of cross-promotion, Dal Soccer Live would like to mention that Tiger's coaches Pat Nearing and Jack Hutchison will be on the Bill McLean Sports Show tomorrow morning at 11:15am. The discussion will be hosted by Bill McLean and will also include Dal Soccer Live's Dylan Matthias and local sports blogger Henry Whitfield.

Listen in on CKDU at 88.1FM!

Dalhousie Pre-Season Friendlies

2010-08-30T16:36:00.001-03:00

By: Dylan Matthias

The exhibition schedules have finally been added to the AUS website.

The Dal men will play one formal exhibition match this Thursday, Sept. 2nd against St. Mary's, at 6:00pm. The women also play on the 2nd, at 4:00pm. Both games are at Wickwire Field.

The women have two other friendlies, against powerhouse Cape Breton on Sept. 4th at 3:00pm at Wickwire, and a return fixture against SMU on the 6th, at 6:30pm at Husky Stadium.

In other AUS exhibition play, Acadia and St. FX's women's teams are meeting at Raymond Field in Wolfville for Amit Batra's first (informal) game with the Axewomen. The X-Men will play UPEI on the 5th, having already gone 1-2 on an NCAA tour.

There may also be some other, informal friendlies for Dal teams against local clubs. We'll try to find out if there are any and let you know tomorrow.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Dalhousie Men Announce Recruits

2010-08-16T17:18:00.001-03:00

--By Dylan Matthias

The Tigers men's soccer team has finally announced its recruiting class for thr 2010 season. It's a defense-heavy group which will likely see more time in 2011 and 2012 than 2010, but head coach Pat Nearing has fulfilled his main recruiting goals: a left back and a striker.

Defenders Zach Bauld and Kieran Hooey should challenge for starting spots next year. Bauld played on the extremely successful Suburban FC Men's NSSL team this summer, a team which only conceded 13 goals in league play. Hooey played for Glebe Collegiate Institute and is a left back, a position Dal sorely need depth in.

Nearing also added former Ottawa Fury U-17 player Tyler Lewars up front to help replace Michel Daoust. Lewars has 10 goals this year in the USL Super Y-League. Lewars' brother Ryan plays at Cape Breton, meaning the weekend of September 18th should be a good game to watch at Wickwire.

Also added to the Tigers are Zack Fisher, JP Rodriques, and Brian Kironde.

The additions give the Tigers two big check marks on their two big needs: a left back and a striker. Jordan Mannix struggled at left-back last year, but an extra year of experience and pressure from Hooey for his spot should give the Tigers a competent left side.

Lewars and Afani will likely be the go-to tandem up front, unless Julian Perrotta returns to 2008 form. Afani has the ability to create space for his partner with his speed, a trait Daoust capitalized on last year. If Afani can find early chemistry with Lewars, there's no reason Dal won't be just as potent offensively this year as they were last year.

Most of Dal's best players are returning and the Tigers will have no problem competing in every game.

Overall recruiting grade: A-. Nothing truly special, but nailed the team's two biggest needs--all expectations are met, and the team has most of what it needs already.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Mount Promotes Homans and Steeves

2010-07-04T14:17:00.001-03:00

--By Dylan Matthias

After Amit Batra's departure from the Mystics' women's soccer program to take over Acadia, MSVU was left in need of a coach. Athletics director June Lumsden has promoted Robyn Homans and Colin Steeves--2009's assistant coaches--to co-head-coach duties with the Mystics.

Homans is a former Dal Tiger who has been with the Mount for seven years as an assistant. Steeves has been with the Mystics for two years.

The two inherit a team they are familiar with from last year and a team which should keep most of its core components, including star striker Sarah Parker.

There is something of a sports saying that assistant coaches rarely make good head coaches. Homans and Steeves, however, both have other coaching experience. Homans coaches Parker and fellow Mystics Jessica Lilly, Chrissy Henneberry on Halifax County United. Steeves is a technical director with Dartmouth United.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Breaking Down the UPEI and St. FX Women's Recruits

2010-06-19T16:43:00.000-03:00

--By Dylan Matthias

Sure, we gave Dalhousie their own post, but St. FX and UPEI also announced recruiting classes in women's soccer. We'd be remiss not to assign them some brief thoughts and a grade, too.

St. FX X-Women

Analyzing the X recruits is tricky because of how little we know about them. Youth club websites are a mixed batch and sometimes stats are available and sometimes they aren't. So bear that in mind.

X will lose two wide attackers in the extremely skilled but under-performing Eugenia Renderos and Allie Anderson. Between them they scored three goals in 2009. Not whopping numbers, but it will likely fall to Melanie Sunada, Shannon Venedam, and Shannon McPhee to provide a few goals, as well as service from the flanks for Olivia Zanette and Amy MacKinnon.

The X-Women were a bit of an odd team last year, better on the field than they were on paper. They remind one of Aston Villa: well-organized but maybe a little less skilled than the top teams. X managed 25 points in 2009, which is exactly the same as the star-studded Cape Breton Capers, even though X have none of the big names.

The question from a recruiting perspective is figuring out how these new recruits will mesh into this group. Will these recruits provide that extra little bit or will they, too, fit into the scoring role-player mould? There's no one in the list of X recruits who makes me lean towards the former. Once these players adjust, they strike me as a solid group of achievers who may get to nationals occasionally but will never make any serious noise.

Looking to the future, this is a bit of a disappointing group from X. It's a status quo group. From a team that got a nice taste of CIS last year, one would hope for a little more ambition, especially given the quality of the university and academics they can offer.

Overall recruiting grade: C. They're not getting worse. Some of the rookies will perform, but no one looks capable of bringing that extra little bit of quality.

UPEI Panthers

It's interesting that both the teams in this post are teams on the rise. UPEI finished second in 2009, slipping in ahead of CBU. They scored 20 goals and only conceded seven. These are marks of a solid AUS team.

But the fact that UPEI will host CIS nationals means the Panthers need to turn a good, steady ascendancy into more of an exponential growth. What were nice little steps need to become big steps.
This is not a "big steps" recruiting class. It is somewhere between a little step and a big step. There are solid players in this class: Maggie McSweeney brings a tenacity up front that can be a bit rare in the women's game. Ali Goodman of Saskatchewan promises some skill and likely two to five goals in her first year. They'll add a nice versatility to a UPEI team that relied too heavily (if successfully) on Tessa Roche last year.

Even in AUS play, Roche won't score 13 goals in 2010. Teams know about her now. She'll be marked out of the game. On the CIS level, she will not have the time or space available in AUS. Goodman and McSweeney, as well as Kinza Baker, may get some space to capitalize on as teams focus on Roche.

The three midfield recruits, Patty Trainor, Sarah Stanley, and Katie O'Brien, will provide cover for an effective, if unheralded midfield. Trainor will likely start, and her experience with this team will do wonders for a fairly young Panthers team who will have only one fifth year again in 2010, as Mandy Lise McKenna leaves.

Replacing McKenna may be an issue, since it's doubtful Lynn Symmington can step into AUS immediately, especially on defense, and the Panthers lack another really experienced defender. Chanelle Roy may be required to have another all-star worthy season.

It's tempting to brush off the provincial players as playing on what is largely considered a lacklustre provincial team in comparison to some of the larger provinces. But large portions of the Panthers have been made up of former provincial players, and that has worked for them. This recruiting class falls into largely the same pattern. UPEI will improve again in 2010, although they're a ways from being a true CIS threat yet.

Overall recruiting grade: B+. Given the size of UPEI in general and the limits it has on recruiting, attracting a legit star would always be difficult. What Mike Redmond is doing is building a tight team. As they showed in 2009, they will be able to surprise people. These recruits fit that mould.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Breaking Down Dalhousie's Recruits

2010-06-19T15:30:00.001-03:00

--By Dylan Matthias

We now have a much better idea what the Tigers women's soccer team will look like in 2010: very similar to 2009.

That's not a bad thing, because 2009 was a good season until November 7th, when it all ended disastrously. It's easy to rely on clichéd excuses: they were too young, the weather was bad, bad games happen, goalkeepers occasionally miss 35-yard shots. Sometimes, though, clichés are clichés because they're true.

And it's true the 2010 Tigers will be a year older and a year better. Players who were too quiet in 2009 will be more comfortable in 2010.

And that's why depth is the most important thing for the Tigers. Sure, it would have been nice to see a tried and tested attacking mid transfer player or a true target striker. Instead, Hutchison focussed on defense and will rely largely on the same attackers next year.

The depth gives the Tigers versatility. Bianca Jakisa and Sheena Cayer could blossom, but are unlikely to play much with Katie Richard, Emma Landry, and Joanna Blodgett all playing wing at times.

But injuries and bad form can provide an opportunity to impress. Both have some solid provinical youth experience, meaning they'll be a little more used to a highly competitive atmosphere. Judging by Hutchison's descriptions, Cayer especially is an atatcking specialist, something the Tigers really don't have. Hutchison likes two-way players, but a little more creative flair might help, especially in late-game situations when a goal is needed.

The Tigers defense is already rock-solid, conceding a league-lowest four goals in 2009. But they shipped two when it counted in November and the addition of Andie VanderLaan will help Hutchison adapt to multiple situations.

Four midfield recruits will make-up for the losses of Ashley Donald, Teresa Morrison, and Laura Johnstone. None of them can likely bring the same level of talent, making it imperative that Beth O'Reilly have a far better season in 2010 than she did in her rookie year.

A larger crop of true midfield players will allow a lot more flexibility, possibly allowing Richard or Landry to see more time up front.

Tigers fans shouldn't expect much from the recruits, and Hutchison doesn't expect them to do much more than simply acclimatise and get ready for 2011 when they will be needed.

The biggest potential pitfall lies in the sophmores Landry, Blodgett, and O'Reilly. They scored a measly one goal between them in 2009, which for attacking players who got plenty of minutes isn't good enough. If they break out, Hutchison will be able to ease his new attackers into their roles. If Landry, Blodgett, and O'Reilly don't perform, than the Tigers could risk relying on the recruits or risk becoming one-dimensional with only Kate MacDonald a real threat to score. In a way, there's more responsibility on the sophmores than the rookies, which is probably appropriate.

It will be hard to replicate 2009's league form. But if they can find a way not to replicate 2009's playoff form, then the league form doesn't matter as much. The recruits might give Hutchison more options in that big game in November.

Overall recruiting grade: B. Nothing spectacular but room for pleasant surprises and depth is undervalued in AUS soccer.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

First of the Men's Soccer Recruits: St. FX

2010-06-19T15:22:00.001-03:00

--By Dylan Matthias

The St. FX X-Men have added a small but potentially solid group of recruits for the 2010 season.

Steven Rodenhiser (GK), Michael Tait (M), Graeme Spink (CB), John Troncoso (WM), Graeme Hodgkinson (DM), and Mark Harpur (D) are all joining the X-Men.

The recruiting class is experienced above all else, with Tait, Spink, and Harpur all having trialled at or worked with professional clubs or academies. Spink was even offered a contract at Dundee FC, but wanted to pursue a university education. Tait trialled at three Scottish clubs including Celtic.

The largely defensive recruiting class will help a St. FX team that lost on penalties to UPEI in AUS playoffs after finishing fifth in 2009. They are a young team with some deficiencies in the midfield, meaning most of these recruits will likely step in and play in their first season.

The recruiting also shows that head coach Graham Kennedy is looking to recruit to a tactical system. X play with a heavy midfield and focus on Czech striker Michal Marousek for scoring. The addition of winger Troncoso (a product of the excellent Calgary Foothills program) may give them some scoring support while Hodgkinson (also of Calgary Foothills), Harpur, Tait, and Spink will provide a combination of skill and depth in what is often a five-man midfield.

The odd recruit out may be goalkeeper Steven Rodenhiser of Bridgewater. He'll have to show well in preseason to beat out Andrew MacDonald for the starting role.

While it is a small recruiting class, X already have some strong pieces. The recruits will at least provide depth as they adjust to AUS, but the best of them may be standout rookies, making X a tough team to predict and potentially dangerous in 2010.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Acadia Hire Amit Batra as Women's Soccer Coach

2010-06-17T13:59:00.000-03:00

(Photo credit: Acadia University)

--By Dylan Matthias

Amit Batra is now the head coach of the Acadia Axewomen soccer team, replacing Angela Morrison.

Batra leaves his current post at Mount Saint Vincent after two incredibly successful years, where he only lost once over two years and was named coach of the year last year. During his tenure with the Mystics, MSVU were a powerhouse of ACAA women's soccer.

Batra's challenge at Acadia will be a little different. Where the Mount had talent in spades, including the high-scoring Sarah Parker and standout goalkeeper Breagh MacDonald, the Axewomen are a team of blue-chip players who lack a true star player.

To make Batra's job harder, Acadia can be a hard sell to recruits. Although it is well-respected academically, its men's soccer program was only re-instated in 2006 and has been woeful ever since. Acadia, in short, is not well-known for its soccer.

The Axewomen finished second from last in 2009 with only nine points and eight goals, conceding 25. They have some talent in holding midfielder Lauren O'Connor and winger Becca Stunz, but strikers ZZ Leighton and Lauren Landry haven't been overly productive and goalkeeping is a weak spot as well.

One of Batra's strengths is tactics. At MSVU, he favoured a very attacking brand of soccer, especially for the women's game. Whether he'll change tactics to adapt to Acadia's lack of flair or not remains to be seen, but it is safe to say the Axewomen will be a very organized team next year.

Batra's first year will be difficult--his 2009 Mystics would, on paper, probably have beaten the 2009 Axewomen. How much Acadia improve next year will depend largely on how Batra adjusts to CIS and how much recruiting he's able to do in what's left of the summer.

The Axewomen have some room to improve, and the hiring of a coach who is very likely ready to make the jump to CIS is a definite upgrade for them and a signal of intent that the Axewomen want to become more of a player in AUS. What Batra lacks in CIS-reputation he makes up for in promise.

Acadia open their season with their new coach against Dalhousie on September 11th at Wickwire field.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Capers' Lose Back-up Goalkeeper to NCAA

2010-06-08T00:39:00.002-03:00

--By Dylan Matthias

The Cape Breton Capers women's soccer team has lost back-up goalkeeper Mara Kremenovic to the Illinois State University Redbirds of NCAA.

Kremenovic, a rookie in 2009, was number two behind Jessica MacDermid. MacDermid has used all her eligibility, leaving the Capers without a goalkeeper.

The Capers have yet to announce their 2010 recruiting class, although it's a good bet it will now include a goalkeeper or two.

The Capers have been one of the stingiest AUS teams over the past several years, conceding only six in 2009 and seven in 2008.

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

FC Edmonton Sign Three CIS Players

2010-05-28T22:52:00.001-03:00

--By Dylan Matthias

Canada's newest professional soccer team, FC Edmonton, announced it's roster on Wednesday, and it includes a number of CIS and CCAA players.

Leading the pack is 2009 CIS bronze medallist and 2008 silver medallist Paul Hamilton, of the Trinity Western Spartans.

Goalkeeper Jaswinder Gill and midfielder Milan Timotijevic, both of the University of Alberta Golden Bears join Hamilton on FC Edmonton.

Kyle Yamada and Sam Lam both played in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference of CCAA last year. Yamada, a striker, scored six goals in nine games with Mt. Royal University. Lam, a midfielder, scored six in ten games at Concordia University College in Calgary.

Lam's teammate, goalkeeper Tristan Ilko, was also signed by FC Edmonton. The final CCAA addition is Thiago Silva, a Brazilian who played with the NAIT Ooks this past season.

There is an AUS connection to all of this, as another FC Edmonton signing--Neto Miguel--played with UNB in the past, according to an article in the Toronto Sun, which also says he played at University of Calgary and University of Alberta, but we couldn't find him on their 2009 rosters.

FC Edmonton will play in the new NASL, part of the second-division USSF Division Two. The team doesn't join officially until 2011, but will play the Montreal Impact and Miami FC of NASL this year. They will also play a number of semi-pro and amateur teams, including the Ottawa Fury (PDL), Victoria Highlanders (PCSL), and the Spokane Spiders (PDL).

--Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

Dalhousie Women Add Eight Recruits

2010-05-19T23:27:00.001-03:00

--By Dylan Matthias

The Dalhousie Tigers women's soccer team will be a bit deeper come September. Head coach Jack Hutchison has added eight new players.

Headlining the list is versatile defender Andie Vanderlaan and attacking wingers Bianca Jakisa and Sheena Cayer.

Hutchison has also added defensive midfielders Stacey DeLuca, Madie Greig, and Sam Claude. Daphne Wallace, a striker, and central midfield player Kayla Merriman round out the group.

"They're not being thrown into the fire," says Hutchison. "The recruits coming in this year will really have the benefit of not being pressured into major minutes."
They do give the Tigers a bit more versatility. Hutchison describes Cayer, of Missasauga, Ontario, as an attacking specialist. Her presence will allow strikers Kate MacDonald and Katie Richard more space.

"If we score 30 goals, it's not going to be three players scoring ten goals each, I think you're going to see six people scoring five goals. You can stop one, maybe two people on our team, but there's two or three others who are more than willing to put the ball in the back of the net."

Players like Cayer and Jakisa are likely a year or so away, but will give the Tigers diversity for now.

"What we've looked for in our recruiting are people who have the ability to play with the ball at their feet--people who can knock the ball around.

The group lacks any transfer players, although the Tigers do have four capable fifth year players already in their system.

"What's promising from a coaching perspective is that we have the nucleus of the team back next year, plus we feel, with the people coming in, the standard is higher than it has been in the past. Everybody will have to work harder to keep the position they had and the time on the field they had. It should force everybody to be better."

Hutchison says he's recruiting for 2011, when the Tigers will be without MacDonald, Richard, and Jeanette Huck.

"We're recruiting this year for next year.... The recruits can come in with a much more relaxed adjustment and initiation into the AUS."

Hutchison says that strategy avoids panic recruitment. They have time to scout and properly develop players.

Greig is coming off knee surgery she underwent last December. Hutchison says she should be ready, although some players can take up to two years to fully recover from a knee injury.

Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor at the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer. He has been a Toronto FC fan since Danny Dichio scored the team's first ever goal. It showed him the magic of soccer.

St. FX add Nine Recruits

2010-05-19T22:51:00.001-03:00

-By Dylan Matthias

Following closely on the heels of UPEI's large recruiting class, the X-Women have added nine new players.

The new recruits compliment an already defensive team.

The recruits include Maris Miller (GK), Stephanie Venedam (FB), Vanessa Smykalski (FB), Victoria Penner (CB), Melanie Sunada (WM), Shannon Venedam (WM), Alix Bruch (CM), and Shannon McPhee (AM).

There isn't much info available on these players--ever where youth soccer stats exist, it can be hard to gauge the level of competition. If you happen to be familiar with any of these players, consider leaving us a comment.
At a glance, then?

Melanie Sunada, according to the St. FX press release, won a U-18 national championship with Calgary Foothills, a system whose website boasts having produced the legendary Canadian defector Owen Hargreaves. It's also produced Trinity Western stars Paul Hamilton and Kristen Funk.

Victoria Penner has played with Manitoba's Canada Games team. On the 2009 games website, she describes herself as aggressive and says her nickname is "The Punisher." She's not won much, though, and the Manitoba team finished eighth in that tournament.

Stephanie and Shannon Venedam are local recruits out of Antigonish, and both played with the Highland Knights team that won bronze at provincials last year.

If you know anything else about these players, then join the conversation. We'll keep looking.

Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor of the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer.

UPEI Recruiting Left, Right, and Centre

2010-05-04T14:43:00.003-03:00

--By Dylan Matthias

UPEI have added no less than eight players already, including two strikers.

Maggie McSweeney and Ali Goodman will give AUS leading scorer Tessa Roche a little help up front.

Last year, Tessa Roche scored 13 of UPEI's 20 goals. Kinza Baker was the team's second-leading scorer, with three.

Also joining them are (deep breath): Sarah Stanley (M), Katie O'Brien (M), Patty Trainor (M), Melissa Burke (W), Lynn Symington (D), and Hilary Thompson (G).

Trainor is a fifth-year midfielder who played with UPEI in 2008 while Burke scored one goal in 2006 with St. FX.

McSweeney, O'Brien, and Stanley are both former PEI provincial team players, a system that has produced a number of Panthers over the past several years. Thompson is also a provincial team alum, in both soccer and curling.

Symington is a defender from New Brunswick who also has provincial experience. Kalie Symington, Lynn's sister, is already a Panther.

The most intriguing of the recruits is Ali Goodman. She was part of a Saskatoon high school dynasty established by Bishop James Mahoney High School. Her school won the league in 2006, 2007, and 2008, and the playoffs in 2007 and 2008. According the UPEI website, head coach Michael Redmond thinks she can "make an immediate impact in AUS."

There's no debating the Panthers could use the goals.

Despite getting themselves into CIS nationals courtesy of an upset win over the Capers, the Panthers are far from a complete team. They finished 6th at nationals and only scored one goal, that against fellow AUS upsetters, St. FX.

This coming year, it's vital for UPEI to field a CIS-capable squad. UPEI will host the women's soccer nationals in the fall, a tournament which has been won for two straight years by a loaded Trinity Western side.

Dylan Matthias is the incoming sports editor of the Dalhousie Gazette. He runs Dal Soccer Live on the side to provide more in-depth coverage of AUS and ACAA soccer.

Live: Men's Gold Medal Game

2009-11-15T14:48:00.002-04:00

The banner will go to Quebec, but which school? McGill or Laval? Find out at 7:30pm.

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=f24d26fea6" >CIS Mens Gold Medal Game--Laval Rouge et Or v. McGill Redmen</a>

Live: Men's Bronze Medal Game

2009-11-15T14:47:00.000-04:00

Follow at least the first half of the men's bronze medal match between the Trinity Western Spartans and the U of T Varsity Blues, live at 5pm.

Once the women's gold medal game starts, our coverage will switch to them. But this is all dependent on scheduling, so your best bet is just to follow along after the jump.
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=0821074391" >CIS Mens Bronze Medal Game--Trinity Western Spartans v. U of T Varsity Blues</a>

Live: Women's Gold Medal Game

2009-11-15T14:45:00.001-04:00

The Trinity Western Spartans look to repeat as CIS champions at 6:00pm, but they'll have to break through the Montreal Carabins 11-man backline to do it. Follow their progress after the jump.
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=ecf51f5f3c" >Live: CIS Women's Soccer Gold Medal Match--Trinity Western Spartans v. Montreal Carabins</a>

Live: Women's Bronze Medal Game: Queen's Gaels v. UBC Thunderbirds

2009-11-15T14:42:00.000-04:00

Join us at 3:00pm for the Queen's Golden Gaels and the UBC Thunderbirds in the CIS Women's Bronze Medal Game.

Blog is after the jump.
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=08dab273ec" >CIS Womens Bronze Medal Game--Queen's Gaels v. UBC Thunderbirds</a>

Live: Women's Semi-Final #2:UBC Thunderbirds v. Montreal Carabins

2009-11-14T14:51:00.001-04:00

Stop by at around 4:15pm for the second women's semi-final.

Blog is coming soon.
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=4ba589153c" >CIS Womens Semi-Final #2--UBC Thunderbirds v. Montreal Carabins</a>

Live: Women's Semi-Final #1: Queen's Gaels v. Trinity Western Spartans

2009-11-14T14:22:00.002-04:00

Join Dylan Matthias live right now for CIS semi-final live blogging.

The blog is after the jump.
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=d01f17a3d5" >CIS Womens Semi-Final #2--Queen's Gaels v. Trinity Western Spartans</a>

CIS Men's Semi-Final #2--Trinity Western Spartans v. McGill Redmen

2009-11-13T19:59:00.002-04:00

Follow us live as the tournament hosts look to reach the finals at 10:30pm.

Blog will be posted soon.
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=d4c18fc84b" >CIS Mens Semi-Final #2--To Be Determined</a>

Live: Men's Semi-Final #1--Laval Rouge et Or v. U of T Varsity Blues

2009-11-13T19:55:00.000-04:00

Follow the first semi-final live from 8:00pm.

Blog is after the jump.
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=a54dea75a8" >CIS Mens Semi-Final #1--To Be Determined</a>

Live: CIS Women's Quarterfinals--Université of Montreal Carabins v. University of Toronto Varsity Blues

2009-11-12T18:35:00.000-04:00

Want some good Montreal v. Toronto action? Stop in here at around 7:30pm. Previous games have gone a bit overtime, so this might delay a bit. We'll launch anyway at 7:30 and update in the blog from there.

We'll also have the men's quarterfinal match-up of CBU and Trinity Western at 10:30pm. If the U of T game goes late, we will be switching over to the AUS representative Cape Breton Capers.

Blog is after the jump.

Live: CIS Women's Quarterfinals--York Lions v. UBC Thunderbirds

2009-11-12T16:04:00.000-04:00

Waiting for the second game to start? Want to see the "Thunderbirds" in action? Tune in here around 4:15 for live coverage with Dylan Matthias. The game may start slightly later as an earlier game went to extra-time. We'll launch around 4:25 and update as necessary.

Blog is after the jump.

Live: CIS Women's Quarterfinal--Trinity Western Spartans v. UPEI Panthers (Thursday, 2:30PM)

2009-11-11T16:06:00.001-04:00

The men's game is not being streamed live anymore, so we're switching to the women instead. Trintiy Western and UPEI.

The blog is after the jump.

Dal Soccer Live to Live-Blog CIS Nationals

2009-11-11T15:38:00.001-04:00

Dal Soccer Live will be live-blogging both CIS national tournaments this weekend, starting Thursday.

Although we can't bring you every game for scheduling reasons, we will be able ot bring you both mens quarterfinals featuring AUS teams, and the women's quartters between York and UBC as well as the Carabins and U of T.

We'll also have both semi-finals and the bronze and gold medal games for both genders over the weekend.

Check back here for more previews, schedules, and the live-blogs.

Although we had technical difficulties with the AUS tournament, these were caused by Dalhousie-specific problems and should not affect our CIS coverage.

Cape Breton Defeat UPEI, Claim AUS Title

2009-11-11T15:34:00.000-04:00

The Cape Breton Capers are back on top.

The tournament favourites pulled through on Monday, scoring early in extra-time to beat the surprising UPEI Panthers 2-1.

"These guys want to put a banner up in the school," said Capers head coach Robbie Chiasson. "The more success you have, the more people become aware of your program and better players want to come to your school."
Cape Breton opened the scoring in the second half after a tight and careful first forty-five minutes.

Shayne Hollis found space on the right wing and caught 'keeper Tim Kalinowski in two minds. The UPEI goalkeeper wanted to come out to challenge Hollis, but changed his mind and retreated back into his box, making it very easy for Hollis to find a corner.

The Panthers couldn't generate much offense at all, and looked to be going to Langley disappointed when Jimmie Mayaleh scored in the 87th minute with a wonderful curling shot that Chris Tournidis had no hope of reaching.

"What can I say," said Tournidis after the game. "Can't do nothin' about it--that's just a world class finish."

Mayaleh was ecstatic with his equalizer, ripping his shirt off in joy depsite its being November. Unfortunately, the celebration carries an automatic yellow card, which would be a problem for Mayaleh.

Off the ensuing kick-off, Mayaleh followed up his superb strike with a mindless tackle on Keishen Bean before the Caper could even get out of the centre circle. Referee Jose Ferres had no choice but to book Mayaleh again, ending Mayaleh's game just 45 seconds after he had scored a great goal.

Cape Breton are hard enough to play with 11 men, let alone 10. Straight off the extra-time kick-off, Keishen Bean benefited from the extra space and found a seam to goal, where he chipped a shot over Kalinowski to win it.

Both teams will play at nationals on Thursday.

"I don't think we refocus," said Chiasson, "I think we ride the momentum from this tournament into nationals."

"They came out with a game plan to stop us playing the way we like to play," said Caper midfielder and tournament MVP Andrew Rigby. "We try and play a passing game and they broke that down. It's good that we got the result, but going into nationals, we need to be playing a lot better."

"Our team showed a lot of character," said UPEI coach Lewis Page. "They kept fighting right to the end."

Mayaleh will miss the first game of CIS nationals with a suspension for his red card.

Cape Breton defeat UdeM, head to AUS finals and CIS nationals

2009-11-08T18:57:00.001-04:00

The Cape Breton Capers survived a late comeback to advance out of the semi-finals yesterday, beating UdeM 4-3.
The Capers wasted little time in going ahead, with Gregg Whitting banging a Shayne Hollis cross into the net just over a minute in, as Moncton were a little late arriving mentally to the game.

Then in the fourth minute, Andrew Rigby slid in a shot to double the Caper lead.

Despite reeling early, the Moncton team rallied and pressured the Capers for the rest of the seocnd half, improving their attack considerably.
That didn't stop Cape Breton from scoring again, with Sylvain Rajkovic scoring off a free kick from near the left touch line.

Then refereeing controversy hit as Shauna Poirier missed a handball call as Mirza Mehic controlled a ball with his arm before smashing a shot past Arnaud St. Jacques-Gagnon, making it 4-0.

The Aigles-Bleu made things interesting, and nearly pulled off another upset, scoring three goals in the second half.

First Mathieu Sonier scored in the 59th, then Jeremie Chiasson in the 68th.

In the 73rd minute, Simpara Bourama corralled a ball pinging around the CBU area and rolled it under Chris Tournidis for the goal.

That was all they could muster, and Cape Breton advanced, thanks in part to Poirier's awful missed call on Mehic's goal.

"Soccer Is A Cruel Game" Dalhousie Out of AUS Men's Playoffs

2009-11-08T18:40:00.001-04:00

The Dalhousie Tigers are not going to nationals. They lost today in front of about 500 fans at Wickwire Field in a game that was at times thrilling and at times frustrating.

UPEI will instead advance to the finals against Cape Breton and book their tickets to Langley. They outscored the Tigers 4-3.

The game was at times controversial, and provided talking points from start to finish.
Dalhousie came out the stronger team, linking possession very coolly and outplaying the Panthers all over the park.

Hamzeh Afani capitalized on that pressure in the 22nd minute when he around Dylan MacDonald and curled a delicious shot into the top corner.

The Tigers had yet to lose a game this year when scoring first.

The controversy started ten minutes later, when Michel Daoust tried to slide a shot into the net and collided with Panther goalkeeper Tim Kalinowski. A number of UPEI players took exception and mobbed Daoust, grabbing his shirt and pushing him. Several Tigers ran to his defense, but referee Jose Ferres elected only to book Daoust and Kalinowski, ignoring the thrid, fourth, and fifth men in on the play--technically a red-card offense.

Ferres then thrust himself into the spotlight again. Nathan Rogers misplayed the Kalinowski free kick straight to a UPEI player who collided with goalkeeper Ben Ur, catching the Tiger 'keeper's face with his studs. Although Ur fell immobile and holding his head--an obvious head injury--Ferres elected not to stop play and Jimmie Mayaleh fired into an indefensible net with Ur on the ground in pain.

Usually, head injuries are called because of a fear of concussions, especially at the CIS level. This isn't the first time this rule has been miscalled, however. Last year at CIS nationals, the Montreal Carabins won the bronze medal in extra time because a Laval player was on the pitch with a head injury and the referee did not call play.

The Tigers did not react well to the controversial goal. Rather than elevate their game, they let their focus slide. Rookie Jordan Mannix was left one on one with speedy Jordan Murphy. The UPEI winger faked out Mannix who committed way too quickly, broke in, and scored on Ur.

The Tigers just about equalised before half-time when Afani nailed his free kick off the crossbar and down. Some fans thought it had crossed the line, but Ferres disagreed.

The Tigers began pressing in the second half, switching to 3-5-2 formation. This made them particularly open to counterattacks, and UPEI punished Dal's bravery in the 73rd, with Murphy speeding past Mannix easily and evading Hagen's tackle before picking out Mayaleh who guided his shot past Ur.

Four minutes later, UPEI scored again, with Ben Paynter finishing a chance form Jimmie Mayaleh who used his pace to beat Kerry Weymann and Rogers.

After four goals, Tiger's coach Pat Nearing replaced Ben Ur with Colin Power. Nearing said after the game that Ur had never fully recovered from the kick he received in the first half.

The switch energized Dal a bit and Afani scored again, banging in a corner kick. Wes Hawley wen to retrieve the ball and again UPEI players mobbed him and grabbed him en masse. Again, Ferres refused to discipline them for the thuggery.

Julian Perrotta made things very interesting in the 86th when he poached a goal after a phenomenal feat of dribbling by Ross Hagen. Immediately afterwards, Colin Power robbed Jordan Murphy on a breakaway.

Stoppage time brought even more controversy, centered again by Ferres. After a rugby scrum in the UPEI penalty area, a massive shout for handball went up from the Tiger players. Ferres waved the call off.

"I did see the handball," said Perrotta. "I thought I saw a handball. Maybe it was hopeful thinking, but we saw, everyone saw it."

Nearing downplayed Ferres' impact, saying that anything could have happened, but he also pointed out that he thought the third UPEI goal was offside.

The UPEI Panthers advance to the finals at 9:30am tomorrow morning.

Dylan will post a season in review a bit later on, where he'll analyze everything from this year and examine some of the consequences of this game more fully, as well as look ahead to next year.

Live matches will not happen for DalSoccerLive

2009-11-08T10:20:00.001-04:00

In an unfortunate turn, DalSoccerLive is being forced to cancel our live-blogging of the AUS Men's Playoffs.

As you may know, Dalhousie University is notoriously bad for wireless internet, which we need to blog from Wickwire Field. The field itself is even worse.

Regrettably, Dalhousie Athletics could not provide us with an internet connection at the field, although they were able to provide the webcast team with a connection. According to facilities manager Chris Kehoe, that connection is exclusive and there's no way to allow DalSoccerLive access to that connection, or any way to provide a different connection for us at any time during the weekend.

We anticipated these problems, and Dylan and Gazette Editor-in-chief Josh Boyter have both been working for the past week to find a back-up plan. Yesterday afternoon it became clear the Gazette simply did not possess the technology at the moment to get wireless internet on the Dal campus. Boyter investigated purchasing the necessary equipment, but the expense was simply too great for a campus newspaper or bare-bones internet publication to afford.

We regret that we cannot bring you live-blogging of the tournament. We did try watching the web stream and blogging, but the picture quality wasn't good enough to allow Dylan to give an objective, factually correct, and informative report.

We will post match reports here, and As It Happened minute-by-minute reports, as we did through most of the season. We encourage you to enter into discussion on the games in the comments section of our posts.

We will be live-blogging the CIS national tournament, as the technical problems at Wickwire Field do not affect our coverage of that tournament. Please join us next weekend for that tournament.

We apologise for any inconvenience.

Giants out at AUS Women's Playoffs

2009-11-08T10:09:00.001-04:00

Both the Dalhousie Tigers and the Cape Breton Capers will not be returning to CIS nationals this year.

Both teams lost their semi-final matches yesterday.

The Tigers choked in extra-time allowing At. FX to snatch a come-from-behind win.

Kate MacDonald scored a wonder goal in the 23rd minute to give Dalhousie a healthy lead. The Tigers have been deadly when scoring first this year, and they defend very well.

Today, though, they couldn't hold the X-Women out as Meghan Ramsden tied it in the 70th minute on a free kick. The ball bounced in front of goal and got past the Tiger's defense.

Then at 99 minutes, Nichole MacNeill lashed a 35 yard effort into goal and handed the Tigers their first loss of the season, and by far the most crucial one.

The Tigers were a young team this year, and perhaps the occasion overwhelmed some of their key rookies. Joanna Blodgett, Emma Landry, and Beth O'Reilly have been regular starters for Dalhousie, but only Landry has scored this year and she only once, although all of them are offensive players.

The UPEI Panthers' Jenn MacLeod scored in the 56th after coming out cautiously in the first half. They weathered the storm (quite literally, as the match was played in a snow storm) and nabbed their goal to send the Capers home.

It's just the second time in seven years that the Capers have lost in the playoffs.

Neither of the AUS Women's conference giants will head to nationals, meaning some new faces will see the CIS stage next weekend, as both UPEI and St. FX will go, regardless of who wins today.

UdeM, UPEI win quarter-finals, X and UNB bow out

2009-11-08T09:52:00.001-04:00

Negative soccer never really pays. Sure the Greeks have one a Euro title because of it. And we'll grant that it is a strategy of sorts, and it can be effective. But really, all it gives is a more dramatic and exciting win to the other team when they finally break through.

It was Université de Moncton who broke through UNB yesterday, although it took 110 minutes for Olivier Babineau to knock a header past Matt Lally.

The higher-seeded Varsity Reds approached the game very cautiously, holding many players back. The Reds aren't a fast team, though, and they struggled to generate the offense on the counter all afternoon.

Instead, they allowed the trio of Babineau, Patrick Gautreau, and Mazime Ferlatte to terrorize their defense. UNB perhaps stayed in the game longer than they should have thanks to some abysmal finishing from the Aigles-Bleu.

In the 110th Gautreau broke down the right wing into a lot of space and hit a nice cross back across the goal for Babineau to nod in.

Babineau earned his goal, with thrilling technical play all afternoon. He played a rover style position, never holding into one place. UNB struggled to mark him and he made them pay.

UdeM will kick-off against the league winning Cape Breton Capers at noon on Sunday.

St. FX and UPEI are two teams who are very well-matched. Appropriately, the game went 0-0 all the way to penalty kicks.

St. FX started very slowly, and UPEI attacking midfielder Jimmie Mayaleh created numerous chances, which were answered by X goalkeeper Andrew MacDonald.

Half-time was kind for X, as it looked like UPEI were bound to score. Instead, the X-Men came out slightly better in the second half.

Still, no-one could score. By extra-time, fatigue and intense cold had set in and neither team could generate a solid chance, let alone finish it. St. FX's Kareem Henry used his pace to get a couple of looks, but he struggled to create a chance.

The shootout was even until the fifth round, with each player scoring. Then St. FX sent out rookie of the year Max Maund--a right back--for the crucial round.

Maund chipped his shot three feet wide of Andrew MacSwain's goal, giving UPEI a chance to win it. They did, with Phillips cooly finishing past MacDonald, sending about 350 X fans home disappointed.

UPEI will play the host Dalhousie at 3pm today.

Live: St. FX v. UPEI--AUS Men's Quarterfinal

2009-11-07T14:00:00.000-04:00

Here's today's second game. Hopefully our technical problems will be resolved for this. Dylan will be her after the first game, or from about 2:45pm.

Blog is after the jump.

Live: St. FX v. UPEI--AUS Men's Playoffs 2009 (Nov. 7, 3pm)

Live: Université de Moncton v. University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds--AUS Men's Quarter-final (Nov. 7, 12pm)

2009-11-07T01:01:00.002-04:00

After an extra day off due to storm conditions Friday, see if UdeM can defeat New Brunswick rivals UNB. Follow us live on DalSoccerLive from 11:30am with Dylan Matthias.

Looking for the second game (St. FX v. UPEI)? It'll be posted around 2:00pm.

Blog is after the jump.

Update: Final will be played Monday: AUS

2009-11-07T00:14:00.000-04:00

According to the AUS website, the AUS Men's Playoff final will be played on Monday, Nov. 9th.

There are still contradicting reports: the Dal Athletics site still says the time is undecided, so this may not be cleared up yet.

Hopefully this tidbit holds up, since it makes it far easier to showcase the tournament. More people will come, more people will watch online, and that means more interest in Dal Soccer.

More thoughts on this tomorrow morning.

Cape Breton and St. FX Advance at AUS Women's Playoffs, Host MUN and UdeM Out

2009-11-06T23:56:00.002-04:00

It wasn't a great day for the AUS Women's Playoffs hosts, the Memorial Sea-Hawks. They lost 2-0 to a Cape Breton side that knows how to win in these situations. St. FX beat UdeM 1-0 and will face Dalhousie tomorrow, recreating one of the closest matches the Tigers have had this season, when they won 2-1 over St. FX thanks to two goals from Katie Richard.

Top seed UPEI will meet Cape Breton in what could be something of an epic duel, featuring two teams with a lot of high-calibre players.
Memorial deserve credit for trying, and playing attacking soccer against the Capers, who have won four-straight AUS titles, even if they look underdogs to repeat this year. It can be tempting to bunker against CBU, since striker Erika Lannon is even more dangeorus on the counter.

It wasn't Lannon who did in the Sea-Hawks, but rather Nicholle Morrison, who beat Keira Eavis in the 56th minute.

Three minutes later Tara Rogers banged in an insurance marker to send the hosts home.

A power outage delayed the game at the 50th minute, and perhaps threw off the Memorial defense. Power outages are something of a soccer phenomenon--many may remember the massive technical failures during Euro 2008, caused by thunderstorms. In Latin America, it can be political instability cutting power. They affect both teams, though, and soccer is more about which team can better adapt to harsh conditions. CBU took advantage.

Université de Moncton played carefully with St.FX, rarely getting forward in attack. As the X-Women have shown, though, they can score quickly, and Amy McKinnon did so in the 24th minute, knocking in a cross.

UdeM couldn't mount much of a comeback at all and saw their season end in a disappointing defeat.

Weather conditions were bad in Newfoundland, though not bad enough to cancel games.

Memorial will lose four key players this off-season, including Laura Breen, who was the only AUS representee on the Canadian Universiade roster this summer, as well as Leslie Pope, Malorie Harris, and Nichole Adams. That will mean a very new look for the Sea-Hawks next year as they look for two new midfielders, a defender, and try to replace 2008's conference goal scoring leader. It won't be easy, and this might mark the beginning of a rebuilding period for Memorial as they find their next star.

Source: http://www.mun.ca/

Cancelled! Friday games postponed as snow sets in over Halifax

2009-11-06T13:11:00.001-04:00

A nasty, slushy snowstorm last night has forced AUS men's organizers to reschedule Friday afternoon's games.

"There's a few things in life you can't control: one's the weather," said Tigers coach Pat Nearing, who is helping to organize this tournament.

After a considerable delay while maintenance staff used snow shovels and a snowplow to clear Wickwire, the games were canceled.

Maintenance head Chris Keogh conferred with the head official for the tournament, who suggested that a frozen pitch could be a problem if kick-off was pushed back.

"[The games] were originally scheduled for 12 and 3 in order to use the warmest part of the day. If they push the game to night time, you start to get a little freeze-up. It's very dangerous for the players to be playing a competitive game in those conditions."

Instead, the two quarter-finals will kick-off on Saturday, at the same times, 12pm and 3pm. the semi-finals will be played Sunday at 12pm and 3pm.

Because two AUS teams qualify for CIS nationals this year, both teams that win on Sunday will head to Langley, B.C., departing Monday afternoon. This raises the possibility of the tournament's final being played either Sunday night, Monday morning, or two weeks from now, after CIS nationals.

The coaches will make that decision later tonight at the tournament banquet.

"That has to be decided by the majority of coaches," said Nearing.

Fans can check the Dalhousie Athletics website for updates on game times. We'll also be updating the blog with info as soon as we get it. Today's live blog will continue for about 35 more minutes, where Dylan will try and answer any questions you might have.

Live: Update: Friday's games cancelled--watch for details

2009-11-06T00:36:00.002-04:00

Friday's games have been delayed by a snow storm which hit Halifax overnight. Today's event is embedded after the jump, and is currently serving as a forum for information and discussion.

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;altcast_code=9cfe1a62ef" &amp;gt;Live: Update: Friday's games cancelled--watch for details&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

AUS Women's Preview

2009-11-06T00:06:00.000-04:00

Sadly, DalSoccerLive can only be in one place at once. The presence of the men's tournament at Dal (and the lack of a cloning machine) means we can't live-blog what promises to be an entertaining women's tournament.

The good news is that two AUS teams will be heading to CIS nationals, so if Dalhousie can get out of the semi-final, we'll catch up with them next weekend.

Our predictions are coming up after the jump....

We here at DalSoccerLive are following in the tradition of FOX News and making our call a little bit early.

But like the infamous 2000 presidential race, this one is really, really tough to call. And we don't have any relations in the race to help bias our judgement.

It's tempting, really tempting, to pick Dalhousie. They're undefeated. They've found ways all season to get goals in tough. They've been good.

But unlike the men, where there is a definite case for the home team, the women haven't really dominated this year and picking them with confidence is hard. There just isn't enough to argue on.

So let's introduce a caveat: I think Dal will qualify for nationals. They'll get to the finals (possibly by way of a penalty shoot-out--how's that for specificity) but lose to Cape Breton.

Why Cape Breton, who have had, by their lofty standards, a rather mediocre season, finishing third with 25 points (Dal had 33, UPEI 27)? Because Cape Breton is a playoff team. This is a team which still has a boatload of CIS experience. They have winners on their team. They won nationals in 2007. They got upset last year by Brock in the first game. That one will have stung them, and they'll want back.

People know who they are nationally. They have a reputation. The play-by-play guys at nationals don't mispronounce their school name (Dalhoosie? not quite, guys). People have expectations of CBU.

UPEI have a ridiculous number of goals from Tessa Roche, but they could very well run into the Capers in their semi-final. The Capers conceded only seven goals in 2008, when they topped the conference. They've conceded six this year. Jessica MacDermid is a phenomenal goalkeeper, and she has a lot of experience agead of her. She's had some fitness problems this year, but she's a pure shot-stopping 'keeper who is easily the most capable in AUS of stealing a game single-handedly.

Erika Lannon can be enigmatic, but she has the ability to score, although her tally of three in the season this year isn't so impressive. Alyssa Bundoo is an excellent 17-year old centre-mid who can defend and link the attack. Nicholle Morrison has four goals.

CBU's scoring will be spread out, but that can be a good thing. They won't beat UPEI 6-5, they'll beat them by marking Tessa Roche out of the game and nipping a goal from somewhere. The Capers are a team who know how to win when it matters. They've done it before.

Feel free to offer your own thoughts below. Disagree. Agree. Make a case for why you think Moncton will be mysteriously disqualified leading Saint Mary's to step in and go all the way.* Thoughts?

*This is not an official DalSoccerLive prediction.

AUS Men's Playoff Preview

2009-11-05T23:43:00.001-04:00

We've been awaiting this for awhile. So have the players, it's safe to say. The following are a few late night musings from Dylan on who might have a slightly better chance this weekend.

So, who's going to win it? After the jump.... (We like this new tool, you know.)
DalSoccerLive's pick to win: Dalhousie. And we're not just saying that because they're "our"* team.

It's a very simple equation: home field advantage. The Tigers have slipped a lot down the stretch. Pat Nearing blamed swine flu in an article on Bill McLean's Haligonia Sports blog on SSN Canada.

Flu aside, Dal have a significant home turf boost. They've played to a 7-0-0 record at Wickwire this year, and outscored opponents 18-2. That's a big statistic.

And their support is a big reason for that (although one could also argue that the turf and often exposed conditions help). Dal have drawn very well for every home game this year, and most have featured a loud and boisterous group of Howe Hall residents who are only too eager to taunt the opposition and motivate the home side.

It goes beyond a 12th man, though--the Tigers have one of the best technical sides in this tournament. They've upgraded their strike force this year, adding Michel Daoust and Hamzeh Afani, who have combined for 8 goals. Both have pace and ability to finish, which gives Dalhousie a dangerous counter.

They can also build through midfield, using Ross Hagen's box-to-box skills to create more chances for Daoust and Afani. Finally, they score a lot from set pieces thanks to big centre halves Kerry Weymann and Nathan Rogers.

Talk to Nearing about the offense and he quickly reminds you of the defense. The Tigers reagrd the offense as a bonus--they know they can rely on Ben Ur, hero of last year's AUS playoffs, for a solid performance.

The Cape Breton Capers will be a threat. Like Dalhousie, they also have a bye into the semi-finals, and they finished on 30 points, 3 ahead of Dalhousie.

The Capers, though, can be an erratic bunch. I've seen them play at Wickwire twice and both times they've been underwhelming. They bring a different flavour to the game, with a heavy Carribbean influence. The Caper game is aggressive and fast. They play very physically, which can intimidate teams, although it also makes them more susceptible to lapses in discipline.

If CBU play their best game, they can beat Dal. The Capers took the second meeting of the season 2-1 in Sydney, but that's where home turf comes in. Although the teams met in the first game of the season at Wickwire--making it hard to judge their performance at this point--the Capers did not deal well with the exuberant fans and came out flat. They have to avoid doing that or Dalhousie will beat them again.

The other four teams: UdeM, UNB, UPEI, and St.FX are an interesting bunch. All four have some bright spots, and they'll be fighting to make sure Dal and Cape Breton don't get a chance to test my analysis.

None of them can quite boast the ability or record of the two favourites, but any of them could have a great weekend.

They'll have to play three games in three days to win it all, though--never an easy feat. It will be made even harder by what is likely to be atrocious weather on Friday. While Dal and Cape Breton sit warm inside, the other four teams will be playing in temperatures that will hover around three degrees and could include snow and rain.

Of the four underdogs, I like UdeM. I've never seen them play, but they practised today (Thursday) and looked relaxed and quietly confident. They have two capable scorers in Olivier Babineau and Patrick Gautreau. They've given Dalhousie some significant trouble this year.

Fortunately for the Tigers, they cannot draw the Aigles-Bleu in the semi-final. As the lowest seed, a Moncton win would see them play Cape Breton, which would be a game well-worth seeing.

UNB are another team who haven't played at Wickwire this year. Although usually a dangerous team, it's hard to find any one player who could steal a game. That makes them a dangerous team: well-balanced and hard to predict. If they win, they'll play Dal, a fixture which produced a 0-0 result in Fredericton this year.

St. FX are a very good team, boasting Michal Marousek's 10 goals with a decent supporting cast. I've seen them once this year, but in very bad conditions. They lost to Dal on a penalty, but rarely threatened goal.

UPEI are another team, which due to various circumstances, I've never seen. They have an interesting group of players, but may struggle on the turf after switching to a grass field this year at UPEI.

As Nearing said in the Haligonia Sports piece: anything could happen. And he's right. Fortunately for you, we're going out on a limb here and throwing some predictions around. Feel free to vehemently abuse them in the comments section below. Or offer your own interpretations.

*DalSoccerLive is an independent publication and we do not "cheer" for Dal. That said, we may occasionally show signs of happiness when they score. We are DalSoccerLive, after all.

Dal Soccer Live Gets Swine Flu

2009-11-04T23:52:00.002-04:00

Wondering where we've been for the past two weeks?

Our reporter at Dal Soccer Live contracted a nasty flu bug (very probably swine flu). Unfortunately, we had to forgo the last two weeks of the season or risk missing the playoffs and infecting the entire Dal Tigers team with flu.

The good news is that the AUS playoffs will be blogged extensively here and at www.dalgazette.com. Dylan will be in Halifax at the men's playoffs, and we'll do what we can to get updates from St. John's and the women's playoffs.

A schedule of MBM reports will be coming in the next 24 hours as Dylan and the Dalhousie Gazette work out how best to present this tournament (and how best to deal with the atrocious weather expected for Friday). Check back tomorrow evening for a playoff preview on both tournaments.

The nice, healthy, swine flu-free fun continues on Nov. 12th as the CIS nationals kick off in Toronto and Langley. We'll live-blog those ones here, too.

Apologies for any inconvenience while we've been away. Naturally, Tigers goalkeeper Ben Ur chose the one home weekend we missed to score his first goal of the season. Hopefully he can put another one in on Saturday.

See you there.

Saint Mary's Huskies (M) v. Dalhousie Tigers (M)--As It Happened--AUS

2009-10-17T14:51:00.044-03:00

Pre-match hobnob: We're live again. Special thanks to the usual suspects: My family, God, the Academy. But especially to Josh Boyter at the Dal Gazette who has worked tirelessly on the new website which now allows live-blogging links. He also supplied a laptop. We couldn't have made this happen without Joel Tichinoff, and specifically his ethernet cable and press pass (though, Joel, if you're reading this, the ethernet cable has a few problems). Anyhow, enjoy the show.

One thing I should mention: We'd usually tag emails onto this, and I'd usually dispense a few more stats. We're still ironing out the kinks in this system, and I can't get multiple web pages open at once, so stats and email are out, except at half-time. Sorry about that, we'll have it working soon.

Your teams:

SMU: Harvey, MacMillan, Rajaraman, Garonis, Downie, Kodejs, O'Callaghan, Cordoba, McNeil, Hassan, Sun.

Dal: Ur, Al-Awaid, Rogers, Weymann, Mannix, Beck, Hawley, Hagen, Negulic, Daoust, Perrotta.

1min: SMU kick-off. No Afani for Dal, who tore SMU apart last time.

5min: Not much going on so far. Perrotta holds it up well on the elft, but Mannix coming forward couldn't hold onto the ball.

6min: Dal win a corner wich Beck corrals for a shot. It deflects off the bar, as Dal nearly score.

8min: A mistake by Al-Awaid leads to sustained SMU pressure, though no shot is forthcoming.

12min: Free kick, 30 yards out for SMU. Ur punches clear.

14min: Cordoba is felled in lumberjack fashion (though legally) and Perrotta goes the other way. He picks out Beck, who drives a shot that Harvey stands up to very nicely.

16min: A SMU corner is won as Mannix tackles the ball out. It's headed goalwards but wide from the almighty scrum in front of the goal.

17min: And ping back the other way, it's Dal on the attack. Hagen makes a few moves he has no business making to get space, but it comes to nothing.

20min: MacMillan--who was last man back--passes straight to Perrotta, who springs Daoust. MacMillan recovers though and makes a wonderful sliding tackle as Daoust looks to chip Harvey.

25min: Corner to Dal cleared off the line by Garonis! Beck corralls it again and picks out Perrotta, who probaby deserved a goal, but for Garonis' goalline clearance. Downie comes off for Rory Kennedy.

30min: A couple of niggly fouls are slowing play down.

34min: A string of Dal possession deteriorates as Perrotta goes in for a ball and doesn't get around McNeil.

38min: The technical display from both teams has been impressive tody, far above AUS' usual level. SMU have relly risen to play with Dal, and the Tiger's Ross Hagen is setting the standard. His ability in midfield is ridiculous.

40min: More great possession leads to a long ball from Negulic. McNeil's got it and just about heads it past Harvey. Foul against SMU.

42min: Cordoba with some great footwork to beat Al-Awaid, but his pass manages to evade four advancing Huskies.

45min: A Dal change now, it's Beck--who's been pretty good today--off for Mazurkiewich, who's been hurt for awhile.

45+min: Half-time is called as Negulic runs a ball out of play.

It's been a grat first half to watch. Pity I'm heading home to watch Toronto FC after this. Good possession is such a pleasure to see, and I haven't much hope of seeing any there. Even without goals, this game is beautiful to watch. I'll be back.

46min: Afani is in for Perrotta. He's always good with Daoust, let's see what happens.

47min: CONTROVERSY! SMU score, but the liensman's been flagging or several seconds now. The ref overrules him and calls a goal from his horrific angle. Let's be clear: It was clear offside. The linesman is a little annoyed and he calls the ref over to check. They confer and the goal is overuled. NO GOAL. Tempers are running a little high all around.

50min: Daoust gets in alone and is called offside. Close, but correct.

51min: Big league miss from O'Callaghan. Kennedy, who thought he'd scored on 47min, crosses to O'Callaghan, who takes way too long to shoot before rolling one four feet wide of a largly open goal.

52min: O'Callaghan is out for Arnthor Johannsson.

57min: Major make-up call to SMU, as Afani is dropped in the box. The ref gives a corner, and that was an obvious penalty. Afani's actually hurt, though how legit that is is debatable. Still, Dal should have a penalty.

59min: It was a great run from Afani, heading it past McNeil, who turned and hacked him down.

62min: Johannsson is clipped in the box and could easily have had a penalty. Then he fouls Hagen and is lucky to avoid a booking.

65min: Negulic gets stripped a little too easily and Johannsson breaks in, but Weymann shows uncharacteristic speed for a centre half and recovers well.

69min: Change for Dal. Al-Awaid is coming off for Dalziel. And now Hagen breaks in and fires wide when he had pass options. And finally, Negulic off for Beck.

73min: Johannsson goes to ground after a long run. I think he's hurt his eye, as he keeps holding his face. Dal swap Hawley for Luke Thompson.

76min: Collision in front of the Dal box. Free kick to SMU.

77min: The shot is sent miles over by Cordoba. Chris Karkilins is on, I can't see for whom.

78min: Hassan is clipped by Rogers and gets called for diving.

82min: Karkilins has replaced Garonis, by the way, and now its Hutchison for Daoust.

83min: Shamout, who I think replaced Sun at half-time, fires wide form distance.

85min: Rajaraman lies on the ground after going down and watches Beck fly past him. He fouls him and Dal have a free kick. It's headed over by Afani.

86min: Ur goes goal to goal on drop kick and Hutchison competes with Harvey for a ball. Hutchison gets punched in the face by the keeper and he stays down. The physio team is out, and Hutchison is holding ice to his face. Dal will eventually replace him with Perrotta.

90min: Corner to SMU. Ur punches clear. Harvey has to come out to catch the ball ahead of Perrotta. He skews the clearance and Perrotta nearly recovers, but McNeil hacks clear.

90+min: Free kick for SMU. Is now a good time to mention that they really need the points? They don't get anything, though, and the ref calls the game.

Anyway, like I said, I'm heading home for the TFC game. Thanks for reading.

Saint Mary's Universty Huskies (W) v. Dalhousie Tigers (W)--As It Happened--AUS

2009-10-17T12:54:00.048-03:00

It's time to put the Live back in Dal Soccer. That's right, our technology has come through and we are live as can be. At least until the technical problems set in.

You're teams:

SMU: Wilson, Langley, Diab, Clarke, Holland, Fox, Rostaert, Pentz, Benedict, Burgess, Currie.

Dal: Armstrong, Huck, Henry, Hardy, MacLean, Landry, Santilli, Morrison, Nugget, Richrd, Donald.

1min: SMU kick off and work a long throw which Dal scramble clear.

3min: Make sure you press refresh for updates and don't forget to send us emails at matthias@student.ednet.ns.ca.

5min: Dal are making lots of pretty passes right now. No real chances so far.

9min: One of the side effects of my doing this live is that I can't verify stuff as well. As such, I'll take this opportunity to meniont hat it is in fact HEather Armstrong in Dal's goal and not Taryn McKenna.

11min: Corner to Dal, which SMU clear. I should mention now (since I didn't have much time before the game--it took awhile to set this up) that Dal are a bit better than SMU. They look it, too.

14min: Dal win a couple of corners off a Stephanie Holland clearance, from which they get very little.

15min: Landry gets some space on the right but is run down by Fox. Landry fouls Fox and SMU bang it away.

17min: Apologies, but the email is not gonna happen until at least half-tme, when I get fifteen minutes to figure out the problems which have been plaguing this machine. It's really a stroke of luck that we're getting this out there at all.

20min: I was going to get on the AUS site and dig up lots of interesting and diversionary (yet ultimately meaningless stats), but that'll have to wait because loading more than one page is a challeneg at the moment.

22min: A pass from Huck unlocks the defense for former Husky Ashley Donald, buther touch is rather poor and indecisive, resulting in an eventual offside.

25min: A long blast of a cross from Huck beats Wilson but hits the gridiron goalposts and is ruled a goal kick. Good build-up from the Tigers, though, Richard and Landry interchanging very well. Richard has moved out wide and Landry into the middle.

27min: Dal foul and Landry comes off for the mysterious Beth O'Reilly. She can be quite the scheming player, often waiting a very long time to make her move--highly stealthy. I'll just drop this analogy now, alright?

29min: Santilli picks out a great diagonal alley for Ashley Donald to run into and hits her apass. Donald, howerer, refuses to run into it, and is cauht quickly by Holland.

30min: Dal are completely in charge at the moment. When Dal played SMU at Wickwire earlier in the season I meant to ask Mark Sweetapple what was wrong with his team. I thought it a bit of a harsh question, and he managed to get away too quick for me to catch. So I decided to wait until today and see if he'd made any improvements. He hasn't.

33min: A collision between Santilli and Diab springs another Tigers attack. O'Reilly heads Richard's cross into Wilson's arms, though.

35min: Traemark Jack Hutchison formational switch coming up. Richard's back up top, O'Reilly moves ot central midfield,, and Santilli out wide. That might actually work--O'Reilly's not really a great striker and Richard was lively up top earlier with her speed.

37min: Rostaert goes on a long exploratory run down the left and cuts inside Huck. It looks a promising chance before Rostaert collapses with an injury. She's not getting treated. Tricky injury for SMU--Rostaert's a fifth year and one of their main (read: only) offensive threats.

40min: Caldwell has now replaced Rostaert, who's still sitting injured behind the Dal goal.

41min: Richard is dropped out wide after a SMU foray. MacLean hammers a cross in, and Richard can't get to it, but manages to win a corner.

45min: Dal's formation keeps shifting, and you have to wonder if they're worse off for it. Burgess chases down a long ball which Armstrong fumbles and both payers go flying, but Dal are first to it and clear.

45+min: A Dal corner reuslts in chaos--with Donald heading off of Benedict's arm and falling for Huck, who loops it just over Wilson's goal. Half-time.

Half-time: Dal need to score for all the pressure they've had. Unfortunately, goals through the football posts don't count. I can't help but wonder if they stuck with a solid formation--and began to learn where everyone would be as a result--whether they might get more goals. There's always too much looking about going on. It leads to hesitation making a pass, and that little extra bit of speed needed to break SMU down is missing.

For SMU's part, they are clearly outmatched. There's no rule saying they have to play positive soccer, though. They have to be strategic. If they've lost Rostaert (and it looks like they have) then they'll need to pounce on any mistake out there.

46min: Dal kick-off on the attack. No changes.

47min: O'Reilly appears from nowhere and cuts past Currie before smashing a 25 yard effort into Wilson's arms.

49min: Donald manages to hold off Langley on the wing, but she puts a rather horrific lows pass in for O'Reilly.

52min: Now it's Morrison's turn to try a fanciful 25 yarder. Wilson saves. SMU break the other wya on the right and Burgess dings a cross in which hangs up beautifuly so that Pentz can missher header. Santilli off for Landry.

53min: Foul, foul, foul, foul, foul, niggly foul, foul, niggly foul.

56min: Landry is pulled down at full flight. No cardis shown, which is a minor scandal. Burgess, I think, was the culprit.

58min: Dal win a corner, which Nugget plays short and which Landry bobbles. MacLean recovers by testing Wilson from 35 yards.

62min: SMU changewith Clarke out for Kathleen Burke. A SMU corner is caught by Armstrong and punted away. Donald, who's had a rather ineffective afternoon, is swapped for Johnstone.

66min: Dal commit a foul 40 yards out and wide left. It's swung in and Morrison heads out of play.SMU nearly get a chance of the throw, but Burgess can't get much on her shot.

68min: Freekick wide right for Dal. Huck fakes it and O'Reilly gets very confused as to what to do with it. She passes back to Huck, who flings the cross out of play.

71min: Richard gets in behind the back line, looking for mor elater heroics. She fires wide as she's budled over. There were some appeals for a penalty there, but nothing was eve coming from that.

75min: If I may go out on a limb, I'd suggest that Dal lack a creative midfielder, preferably one with pace. SMU have played this to perfection, sitting deep and marking well. Dal haven't been able to create their own chances.

77min: Caldwell makes some noise fown the left. Another long throw coming from Currie, which Dal clear.

78min: SMU withdraw Burke for Clarke and O'Reilly is extracted (sorry), for Santilli.

81min: Now SMU are trying to come forward and they force Armstrong into a miscommunication with Hardy, which is cleared.

82min: An outswinging SMU corneris cleared.

84min: Huck gets a free kick 40 yardsoutand squares it for Nugget, who goes for goal. It's only narrowly over, and Wilson was beaten.

86min: One wonders whether Richard will be moved centrally for the last five minutes--both of Dal's previous games have been won by Ricahrd's late heroics.

89min: Santilli handles the ball and SMU pound a free kick in which is cleared. Katie Richard has moved up to striker.

90+min: Clarke collides with Armstrong, who drops the ball but manages to recover. Dal counter but can't get much.

90+min: The ref blows as Dal bounce a ball off of the football posts again. Disappointing for the Tigers to come away with a draw. But credit to SMU, who have managed to deal with their lack of scoring by not conceding a goal. I've got to set up the men's game, and do some interviews. See you.

As It Happened: Dalhousie Tigers (W) v. Memorial Seahawks (W)---AUS Oct. 2, 2009

2009-10-03T23:08:00.003-03:00

Pregame: I've got nothin'. And since we're still not live, I'm unlikely to get anything. I can tell you Jack Hutchison might play with his roster a bit, but we all knew that anyway.

Good opportunity to watch Laura Breen tonight. SHe was the only AUS player named to Canada's Universiade roster, and she can score, though she hasn't yet this year.

You're teams:

Dal: Armstrong, Huck, Henry, C. MacDonald, Crewe, K. MacDonald, Santilli, Morrison, O'Reilly, Donald, Landry. Subs: MacLean, Richard, Johnstone, Hardy, McKilligan, McKenna, Blodgett.

MUN: Eavis, Windsor, Thistle, Dawe, Whitten, Tobin, Adams, Hansford, Breen, Harris, Pope.

Referee: Robert Kennedy

1min: MUN kick off and backtrack straight out of play. Goal kick.

4min: A long free kick forces Armstrong into a somewhat awkward save. She collides with Crewe and only just manages to finger it over Pope's head.

6min: Kate MacDonald, otherwise known as "Nugget," loops a cross towards Donald. Eavis claims it.

7min: Henry is beaten a bit too easily by Thistle. Armstrong saves Thistle's shot.

9min: MUN coach Walt Mavin is playing Laura Breen at centre back. Centre back! The best striker in AUS, she is, remember.

10min: Harris now gets by Crewe and forces Amrstrong to challenge. Harris chips it over the Dal 'keeper and miles wide. Very poor start by Dalhousie.

13min: Dal commit their fifth foul in 13 minutes. Somehow, MUN fail to score. 8 Dal players watch the ball fall to Thistle who dribbles around Armstrong before losing control of the ball and watching it out for a goal kick. Completely open net for her, it would only have taken one touch. Comedy miss, but atrocious defending from the Tigers. The ball in bounced three times in the Dal box, and no one seemed to care too much.

16min: Nugget gets a rather undeserved scoring chance as Dawe lets her in. She can't get by Eavis, but the MUN 'keeper drops the ball right back to her, who shoots straight into Dawe's shinpads. Landry comes off for Richard.

19min: Harris dribbles very easily through the Dal midfield and then makes a terrible hash of her pass to Adams.

22min: It's pretty apparent that Laura Breen has no idea how to play defense, either. She keeps letting Richard and MacDonald get loose and her marking is poor at best.

23min: The MUN men's team berate the ref for a call they feel is unjust. Can Tyler Putt really manage to get sent off before te game even begins?

26min: The ref calls Henry for a foul miles from the ball, but rather near the area. Now Breen comes forward. And she shows why she should be playing striker, by looping a shot just over the bar that Armstrong would never have saved if it had been on target.

30min: Hansford goes past Colleen MacDonald, tries to round Armstrong, and loses possession. It's out for a corner.

33min: Breen really wants to get forward. She's coming way up to pressure the Dal forwards and giving Richard a lot of space in behind her.

35min: Donald has a go and Harris jumps out of the way, exposing the bottom corner. Eavis lunges to her right and clears it. Santilli gets the rebound but can only blaze it over the bar.

36min: Dawe gets booked for attempting to remove Richard's shorts.

37min: Whitten comes off for Warren and O'Reilly for Johnstone. That'll give Dal a more conventional 4-4-2 formation.

38min: Morrison with some excellent possession in midfield before being felled by Tobin.

42min: Harris now whiffs on a clearance, giving Santilli time int he box. Santilli, though, mishits her shot.

45+min: MUN win a corner which is cleared.

Half-time: Rain time, too. Hold on, I have to find my umbrella.

-They're back, just as the rain stops. I'm now soaked while the players are perfectly dry. Changes: Landry's back in for Donald. That's pretty much it. The pitch will be a lot slicker now. We had a real downpour for a few minutes.

47min: Eavis stops a low roller from Richard. That deserved a better finish. Santilli now sends a one-bouncer to Eavis. Also saved.

49min: Landry is fouled from behind an gets called for diving. If the ref had any solid basis for that call he'd have booked her.

51min: Crossbar! Eavis gets caught off her line and Huck sends a cross in. Breen heads it off hr own crossbar and out. Eavis was at sea for a while there and Dal really should have worked a little more possession before going for goal.

57min: Dal worka bit more wide pressure and Breen again looks out of place in the back line. She just tends to hoof the ball clear and Dal are winning a lot of possession as a result.

60min: Breen miscommits on a header and Richard flies past her. Breen manages not to foul Richard in the box, instead conceding corner. Tobin off for Williams, an exchange of two players who share surnames with Newfoundland premiers. There's a fun fact for you.

62min: Landry picks out Richard, who wins a corner.

63min: Off the line as Johnstone flicks goalwards.

64min: Off the line! Again! The next corner is fired on goal by Huck. Eavis is lost again and it's blocked by Dawe, I think.

65min: Player down for MUN. It's Nicole Adams, who limps back to midfield. She's alright. Looked like her ankle got clipped by Henry.

67min: Corner to MUN. Pope puts it in and Harris has a chance which she miscontrols.

68min: A MUN free kick forces Armstong to punch clear. Good goalkeeping from Armstrong. I suspect the competition with McKenna has really helped her raise her game.

69min: Henry dashes forward and Richard bacheels to Landry, who is flattened as she shoots wide.

72min: Johnstone is fouled out wide left. Santilli's free kick finds its way to Eavis.

75min: Armstrong beaten, but Thistle can't find away to get the ball in the net. That's the second time that's happened tonight.

77min: Breen wrecks another clearance, skying it up in the air. Dal can't turn the pressure into a goal.

79min: Thistle comes off for Tilley.

80min: Landry does extremely well to win a corner, taking on Windsor and winning. The delivery is headed out for a throw.

82min: Nugget runs onto a looped pass and is all alone. She can't control it though and it bobbles out. And now Hansford collides with Morrison and goes down hard. She's hurt her back, but isn't coming off.

83min: Huck makes a great run, but Landry's header is poor. Dal win a corner.

84min: Huck corrals the broken play and smashes a lethal-looking shot inches over the bar.

86min: Richard gets decked on a counter and no foul is called. MUN break the other way and Armstrong saves Thistle's shot.

90min: Crewe is pushed and Dal win a free kick. Huck puts it wide. Thistle off for Tilley.

90+min: GOAL! Richard scores! What a series of glaring mistakes from MUN, too! Warren gifts possession to Kate MacDonald on the wing. She shoots from an atrocious angle, but Eavis drops it and Richard is on hand to bundle it into the net.

90+min: Full-time. MUN have no time to answer back and Dal win.

Great way to win, not such a great way to play. I have certain suspicions that Richard was offside on that goal, but I have absolutely no way to confirm it and my angle was pretty bad. Neither team put on much of a show here, but Dal did rally considerably late in the game to pressure MUN. Perhaps deservedly, they get this win.

As It Happened: Dalhousie Tigers (M) v.Acadia Axemen (M)---AUS Sept. 27, 2009

2009-10-03T19:07:00.003-03:00

-Not much time for a pregame. Here are your teams.

Dal: Power, Mannix, Rogers, Weymann, Dalziel, Burr, Hagen, Haughn, Negulic, Daoust, Hawley.

Acadia: MacRae, Tully, Hennigar, Sequeira, DeAdder, Merchant, Outerleys, Holton, Hammond, Wade, Nunn.

1min: Off we go.

7min: Teams are taking some time. Free kick in a dangerous position to Dal. It's wasted.

8min: Hammond in trouble as he flops down on the break. Dive's the call, but no yellow.

12min: Rainy time!

13min: I should point out that Acadia aren't a very good team.

14min: Dal score, but it's offside. Good early call, no controversy there.

15min: Corner to Dal. Not the strongest of punches from MacRae, but it's enough to clear.

17min: It'll be interesting to see Power tonight. I honestly have never seen him play before. Ur's pretty unflappable, but Acadia aren't--they're awful, so it's a good opportunity to Power's memory of competitive play.

19min: Dal win corner number 915283641. Negulic picks out Weymann, who skies his header over the bar.

22min: Daoust runs with superhuman speed onto a long pass from Mannix. He flicks it over MacRae's head, but it floats across the face of goal and out.

23min: Spectacular double save from MacRae, who denies Weymann twice, first leaping high to save a header, then getting even higher to tip away the second try for Weymann. Phenomenal save and phenomenally lucky--if he hadn't landed on his feet the first time then Weymann scores on the follow-up.

27min: Mannix in booked on a rare Acadia foray, pulling back Merchant.

31min: GOAL! (Rogers 1) Negulic with yet another corner in and Rogers rises well to head into goal. 1-0.

34min: Nice long cross from Burr threatens goal, but MacRae gathers it.

35min: Acadia work a nice quick counterattack which ends with a horrific through ball. For a team with only one goal (and that was a CBU own goal), Acadia aren't looking too bad. Or just highly motivated.

39min: GOAL! (Daoust 2) What a goal! Hawley flips it over the defender and then heads his own pass to Daoust, who lobs home.

42min: Power tips a long bomb of a shot over the bar. The corner is cleared.

45min: Half-time called. Dal should be taking control of this.

45min: Afani in for Dal, replacing Hawley and Perrotta replaces Daoust. Mazurkewich on for Burr.

46min: Afani fires on goal and MacRae saves. If he'd taken a better touch he might have scored, be Afani cost himself valuable seconds controlling the ball.

48min: Acadia win a free kick out wide for which Dalziel is inexplicably booked. Hagen breaks the other way and runs 80 yards with the ball at his feet before trying to find Afani and overhitting his pass.

53min: Dal with some solid possession before they concede a free kick. Dalziel off for Cody Field.

57min: Hammond gets behind Weymann but Power is down quick to save. Hammond put it straight at him, though. Good save all the same.

63min: Hagen's been having a whale of a second half, constantly lively on the ball, breaking up attacks and running past people. Acadia remove Matthew Holton and Tetlow for Munroe and Gilmour-Ford.

67min: GOAL! (Hagen 2) Hagen gets his due after Afani lays it on for him to score. Acadia got caught way too far forward and Perrotta beats Tully to give Afani and Hagen the 2 on 1, which they work to perfection.

68min: Perrotta gets levelled with an elbow. No card. Perrotta's alright, though.

69min: Hagen again breaks up the middle and drives into the box. He gets it to Perrotta, who's offside.

71min: Doucet comes off for Smith.

73min: Haughn and Negulic off for Andrew Hutchison and Luke Thompson.

77min: Afani wins Dal yet another corner. They play it short and Field has a long range effort. It extends MacRae but ultimately goes wide.

80min: Perrotta lops a shot high and wide.

83min: Mazurkewich is on the deck. I think he got kicked going into a tough challenge with Hammond. He limps off to be replaced by Chris Haughn.

86min: Acadia contrive to make an awful mess of a defensive throw-in and Perrotta contrives to make an awful mess of his shot. Hennigar pretty much served that up for the Dal striker, whose effort was nowhere near the net from about six yards out.

87min: Hagen with some more midfield swagger from which Hutchison troubles MacRae. Acadia bring off Merchant for James Nunn.

90+min: Full-time. Dal win easily again. This is getting a bit repetitive. The expectation now has to be for them to win AUS playoffs. That's a bit hard on them, since it's knockout football and anything could happen. That said, the only true gauge of how god this team is is going to be against CIS competition. They've outplayed most every team who have come to Dal this year. Given they're hosting AUS playoffs, they should do well.

As It Happened: Dalhousie Tigers (W) v. Acadia Axewomen (W)---AUS Sept. 26, 2009

2009-10-03T13:41:00.004-03:00

2:46pm: Pregame hobnob: The Acadia Axewomen (has there ever been a worse compound word?) are at least better than the Acadia Axemen. Dal are better than their 2-0-2 record suggests. But enough of stats. Nobody cares about stats. What people (or at least me, and I'm the only one who really counts here since we're not doing this and you don't even have a voice to write in and stop me going on this digression--tough) is why I think "Axewomen" is the worst compound word ever. "Is he," they ask, "really that sexist? He covers women's soccer for crying out loud." But my motives are purely metaphysical. Can a woman not be called an axeman? What is an axeman, anyway? I mean, presumably if Acadia striker Michelle Davey comes onto the pitch wielding a massive axe, then we can assume she has bigger problems than what is essentially grammar. Though coming onto the field with a massive axe might intimidate Dal a bit. Why should we call axemen axemen? Isn't that just as sexist? Yes, it is. So we'll be calling everyone "axepeople" today, which is probably an even worse compound word than axewomen.

2:54pm: My highly intellectual musings on the structure of "axewomen" as a word has wasted just about enough time and the teams are just about to start thinking about maybe taking to the field. The ref goes off to turn off the music. He can't, so we'll just have to ignore the awful, cheesy seventies rock music until it slowly fades away into nothingness. Nobody can find the PA guy, either, so we'll have to do without line-ups, too.

Teams as best I can make them out:

Dal: McKenna, Huck, Henry, C. MacDonald, MacLean, McKilligan, Santilli, Morrison, Nugget, Hardy, Richard. Subs: Crewe, O'Reilly, Johnstone, Blodgett, Donald, Landry, Armstrong.

Axepeople: Moignard, Bleakney, Balan, Murphy, Fry, Curci, O'Connor, Hebert, Hache, Crocker, Landry. Subs: Davey, Doyle, Stunz, Millet, Fisher, Fiorett, a couple other people who I couldn't catch during warm-ups.

1min: Acadia kick-0ff.

3min: An Acadia free kick results in a dangerous header which flies wide.

4min: Richard gets past the back line and Moignard decides to meet her around 35 yards. Richard goes around her and floats a shot wide of an empty goal.

6min: GOAL! (Morrison 2) MacLean manages to float in a good cross without pulling her groin and Morrison flicks it past a miles out of position Stephanie Moignard. That was surprisingly easy for Dal.

8min: Acadia remove Hache for Stunz.

9min: Santilli bounces a shot towards Moignard who manages to be int he right position this time.

11min: Kristen Crocker gets booked for pulling Huck's shirt. Bit harsh for an early foul. Crocker'll have to be careful now.

14min: Dal look a lot better with MacLean on the left. She gets forward and supports, at least as long as her frequently injured groin holds up. Of course, as I write this, she lets Lauren Landry get past her on the wing. Landry's cross is too deep for Crocker to connect on, though.

19min: Hardy makes a good steal in the box and crosses, but it comes to nothing. Dal will bring off MacLean for Crewe. That's likely a rest move--MacLean's been injured for almost a month.

21min: Morrison gets her lethal left boot on a loose ball. Her first try is blocked and her second curls wide, with Moignard helpless.

23min: Morrison now makes a lovely move to win space before picking out Hardy, who makes a mess of controlling the pass and loses possession.

27min: Santilli wins a ball with fight more reminiscent of an axeperson and launches one on goal from 25 yards, which Moignard saves.

29min: Save McKenna! Landry latches onto a pass from Stunz that was almost certainly offside and gets in alone. McKenna comes out and chests the shot away.

32min: Landry comes off for Sara Reid and Hardy for Blodgett. Blodgett immediately wins a chance and Richard tries to cross when she should have left the chance for Blodgett.

33min: Nugget gets on the end of a long ball but can't generate much. Crewe, who may as well have never come on for how invisible she's been, is replaced by MacLean.

39min: Acadia just don't have a plan right now. Dal's defense has been a bit ponderous, which has been responsible for most of Acadia's chances, and could be exploited for more. Acadia seem to have an oddly effective lack of strategy, though.

42min: Crocker comes out for Kristen Millet.

45min: Half-time is called. Dal have a valuable lead, since Acadia isn't exactly a scoring machine, for all their axewielding machismo. Oh, don't let me get started on that again. I've got 5 classes a term to discuss the role of women in everything. I think we can safely use the word "machismo" in a women's soccer match, don't you?

45min: Second half changes: Johnstone's in for McKilligan, Donald for Richard, and Landry for Blodgett. Acadia make no changes.

47min: Landry gets on the end of a pass from Nugget and wins a corner. They work a set play to Huck, who slashes a shot in. It deflects past Moignard to Donald, who can't put it in.

52min: There's chaos in the Dal box as a free kick comes in. Acadia don't make much from the panic, though.

53min: Now it's a Dal change, Nugget for O'Reilly.

54min: McKenna--not for the first time tonight--overplays a backpass. This time she's caught by Millet, who should score except McKenna grabs her heels as she tries to shoot. Somehow the ref missed that.

57min: Henry gets booked for a very soft foul in midfield.

61min: O'Reilly pops up for a rare cameo appearance, swirling in a cross. Landry misses it but it finds its way back to Donald, who slips as she tries to shoot.

64min: Morrison gets space in the box and gets onto her left again. She drives it low and hard, but Moignard gets down to it. Acadia sub off Reid for Landry.

66min: GOAL! (Donald 1) Donald gets onto a through pass which ran straight past the Axepeople centre backs. Not too hard for the veteran to roll it past a charging Moignard.

68min: Dal should really score again as a muchness of ball watching in the Acadia defense leads to a chance which Johnstone should control, but doesn't. Nugget on for Landry and O'Connor in for Balan.

72min: Acadia now remove Millet for Crocker.

73min: Acadia with some pressure now, though it's still disorganized and a bit too late, really.

74min: Inexplicable keeper swap alert! Acadia's Doyle comes on for Moignard.

78min: Nugget and MacLean switch off for Crewe and Landry. And our usual, lovable PA guy is back, making sure to call Landry "Laundry" and Crewe "Croon." Pure phonetic art, right there.

80min: Donald wins a chance by blocking a clearance which nearly ends up in the net. Laura Landry then does the same thing for Acadia at the other end, also without scoring.

82min: Curci off for Davey.

84min: Lauren Landry capitalizes on a horrendous turnover from Crewe and tests McKenna, though admittedly not very stringently.

87min: Corner to Acadia. It comes in dangerously, but the Axepeople simply don't have the resources to convert.

90+min: Emma "Laundry" gets in and forces Doyle to her left. Not a difficult save, really. Should've gone top shelf, Emma.

Full-time: A predictable, though maybe less commanding result than Dal would like. I have to do interviews, so I'm off. Thanks for reading.

ACAA run-down: Weekend of Sept. 22-27

2009-10-02T20:28:00.004-03:00

Weekend Scores after the jump.

Men:

MSVU 0 - 5 UKC: A hat trick from Brendan Parsley secured the win for the Blue Devils. Marc Boudreau also scored for Kings', as did Sam Karkilins.
STU 0 - HC: Both teams remained winless with the scoreless draw.
UKC 3 - 2 UNBSJ: No info available.
NSAC 2 - 4 MSVU: Scott Brown gave the Rams a 2-0 lead before the hosts gave Ibrahim Yuksel a hat trick and also allowed a goal from Matt Little.
UNBSJ 0 - 2 Holland College: Tommy Flemming and Ties Hakkus scored for Holland College.

Women:

UNBSJ 1 - 0 STU: Robyn Gillis had the only goal.
MSVU 2 - 2 UKC: Irene Flatley and Allison Smith scored for Kings' while Chrissy Henneberry and Jill Edwards scored for the Mount.
STU 0 - 6 Holland College: Natalie Shea had 2 goals and Melanie Taylor and Stephanie LeBlanc each had one as Holland College dominated STU in Fredericton. Caroline Del Frate missed a penalty for STU. Samantha Silver left the game with a back injury.
ABU 2 - 7 MSVU: Jill Edwards scored two goals, and the Mount had one each from Morgan LeBlanc, Courtney McMaster, Sarah Parker, Emily Burke, and Sheila Kerry. Melinda Seldon had both ABU goals.
UKC 4 - 1 UNBSJ: No info available.
NSAC 1 - 7 MSVU: Jill Edwards again scored twice, as did Courtney McMaster. Other Mount goals were scored by Sarah Parker, Cassandra O'Neill and Stephanie Dockrill. Janice Cameron had the only NSAC goal.
ABU 0 - 3 UKC: Kelly Cousens scored twice and Irene Flatley added another as Kings' won in New Brunswick.

Source: www.acaa.ca

AUS run-down: Weekend of Sept. 25-27

2009-10-02T19:42:00.003-03:00

Scores after the jump.
Men:

SMU 2 - 0 Acadia: No info available.
Mt. A 0 - 2 UPEI: Jimmy Mayaleh had a goal and an assist in UPEI's win over Mt. A. Logan Dawson had the other goal.
CBU 2 - 1 UNB: Keishen Bean and Shayne Hollis scored for the Capers while Will Allen scored for UNB.
St. FX 2 - 2 Moncton: Patrick Gautreau and Olivier Babineau gave Moncton a 2-0 lead before goals from X-Men Kareem Henry and Michael Marousek.
UPEI 2 - 0 Acadia: Danny McAleer and Logan Dawson scored for UPEI. The Panthers also retired the #10 kit number, worn by former UPEI star Ryan Anstey.
CBU 4 - 2 Moncton: Jason Davis scored twice along with Andrew Leggat and Shayne Hollis once.
Dalhousie 4 - 0 SMU: Former SMU player Hamzeh Afani had a goal and an assist against his old team. Michel Daoust scored, as did Andrew Hutchison and Kerry Weymann.
St. FX 0 - 1 UNB: Ben Law scored the only goal as St. FX lost at home.

Women:

SMU 0 -0 Acadia :No info available.
Mt. A 0 - 3 UPEI: Kinza Baker scored early and Andrea Archibald and Tessa Roche each added a goal for a UPEI win. Gina Lisi picked up an injury in the game.
UNB 1 - 3 CBU: Erika Lannon scored twice and Kaelyn Burke once to give the Capers a 3-1 win at home. Meghan Felt scored for UNB.
St. FX 1 - 0 Moncton: Amy McKinnon had the only goal of the game in the 55th minute.
UPEI 4 - 0 Acadia: No info available.
CBU 4 - 0 Moncton: Nicholle Morrison, Hannah Abenheimer and Jennifer Sheppard scored in the 4-0 rout of visiting Moncton.
Dalhousie 2 - 0 SMU: A SMU own goal and a penalty goal from Jeanette Huck gave the Tigers the win on Sunday at Wickwire Field.

Source material: www.upei.ca, The Cape Breton Post.ca, www.stfx.ca, AUS

Dalhousie Tigers (M) v. Saint Mary's Huskies (M)

2009-09-27T19:37:00.003-03:00

Hi. I'm waiting for some interviews. Might miss a bit here.

Dal are number five in Canada. SMU aren't. But SMU have won 3 of the last 5 meetings with Dal.

Teams:

Dal: Ur, Mannix, Weymann, Haughn, Al-Awaid, Negulic, Rogers, Hagen, Beck, Afani, Daoust.

SMU: Harvey, McMillian, Rajaraman, Downie, Scichilone, O'Callaghan, Cordoba, Garonis, McNeil, Karklins, Sun.

Referee: Jose Feres

1min: Here we go. The fans are here again.

2min: Afani gets half a chance, which Harvey saves. O'Callaghan has a concussion hat on for SMU.

3min: Daoust and Afani looked psyched for this. O'Callaghan has twice booted the ball away from a Dal player on a throw in in the span of three minutes.

6min: O'Callaghan boots it away again.

7min: Corner to Dal. Daoust misses it.

9min: Afani will have agrudge to bear against the team that never played him last year. Combined with Daoust and Hagen, Dal look good.

11min: Free kick to SMU as Cordoba is brought down. 4 in the wall for Dal.

12min: It's powerfully hit in low and it thuds against Ur's post. It bounces in front but is quickly cleared.

15min: Daoust licks a pass to himself, but Harvey gathers well. In other news, there's a toddler swordfight with thundersticks going on near the sideline. The swordfight is currently more exciting than the game, whcih has descended into a lot of longballing.

19min: Cordoba comes off for Mohammed Shamout.

24min: SMU win a free kick after a Hagen push. It's cleared.

26min: SMU move the ball around well, but they don't do a great deal with it.

28min: Still not much breaking through going on.

29min: Afani picks out Negulic with a beautiful cross but the Dal winger just misses the open header.

32min: GOAL! A terrific, penetrating run from Daoust ends with a sketchy dispossession in the box, but Afani is there to put it in past his old team. (Well, his second old team. He was at Dal first, then SMU, now Dal again). Revenge, it must be said, is sweet.

34min: Michael Sun is fouled by Weymann, which earn him a yellow. Some subs:

-Cordoba is in for Karklins
-Ishraw Hassan is in for Sun
-Sidney Doucette is in for O'Callaghan

35min: Downie is levelled by Haugn, which sends a woman next to me into conniptions. Haughn gets a yellow. It wasn't a pretty tackle, but he did keep his studs down and his back leg well out of it. Could have been a red for excessive force--as the SMU fans are claiming--but I think the ref handled that quite well. Still, I wouldn't have been surprised.

41min: Sorry for the delay--had to write all that foul stuff down. You aren't missing anything. Afani leaves Scichilone for dead and tests Harvey. The keeper palms it back in, but Haughn can't get his follow-up shot through.

43min: Interestingly, the middle-aged woman next to me has heckled the ref more than the huge Howe Hall group tonight.

45min: Negulic runs onto a wonderful cross from Mazurkewich (who's come on for Beck, I think) and controls nicely. Harvey makes a great low save off his shot, though.

45+1min: Afani tries a nifty back-heel in the box ut it doesn't quite come off. 2 minutes added on.

45+2min: Half-time. Dal lead it and there's a good, vocal supprt for both teams here.

In the spirit of cooperation, Shirref Hall have sent down a large yellow and black feathered pole for the Howe Hall supporter's group to use. They're not quite sure what to do with it.

45min: No changes.

46min: Afani glances a header to goal which Harvey snags.

49min: McNeil concede a free kick and draws a yellow. Afani hits the wall and Dal foul.

51min: O'Callaghan comes in for Doucette, I think.

54min: Downie body checks Mannix and gets a yellow.

57min: GOAL! Afani returns the the favour to Daoust, putting on a huge burst of speed to round Scichilone before hitting a high cross over Harvey which drops perfectly onto Daoust's boot for him to sidefoot home.

58min: Unfortunately, Afani's gone down after getting hit with a clearance. Just dazed, though.

60min: SMU withdraw Shamout--who's been invisible--for Shaun Kodejs.

61min: Afani finds Negulic in the box but he loops his shot over. That was very close, there.

62min: Afani is tearing SMU apart. Now he's won a corner. It's cleared.

64min: Afani will get at least a rest as he comes off for Julian Perrotta. Perrotta's got similar pace, but he hasn't played much yet this year, so he'll be eager to show he belongs in the starting 11.

67min: Corner to Dal which Negulic sends in. A foul is called as Weymann heads off the bar.

68min: The game's been quite physical, with Weymann now sent flying--fairly though.

70min: Dal with some more changes. Haughn and Daoust come off for Hawley and Burr. That's an oddly attacking sub for a 2-0 scoreline.

73min: Al-Awaid goes down after a tough challenge from O'Callaghan. Fair again. O'Callaghan off for Chris MacEachern.

74min: Al-Awaid limps off for Andreas Hart.

77min: Hawley breaks in with Perrotta, but he gives his teammate a hospital ball to try and finish--it's way too far ahead of him. They lose possession and it's out for a corner.

78min: GOAL! The corner comes in and it drops to Weymann, who spins and shoots to the top corner past Harvey.

79min: Free kick to SMU as Negulic comes off with cramp. Andrew Hutchison replaces him. Cordoba to take the shot. He fakes it an Scichilone--who probably has the hardest name to spell in AUS--sends it into the wall.

82min: Another dangerous free kick to SMU as they press. It's more central this time. It's hit through the wall, but it loses most of its momentum and Ur claims it.

83min: Now Perrotta sends a weak shot Harvey's way.

84min: SMU make their 6th and 7th subs, with Cordoba and Rajaraman out for Karklins and Ryan Whiteman.

86min: Perrotta gets in behinds but can't beat Harvey.

89min: SMU get a chance as the pace picks up. Whiteman really should score but he chips it wide from close while Ur was down.

90min: SMU replace Downie with Johannson. 2 added minutes.

90+2min: GOAL! And what a goal! Hutchison starts with the ball about 25 yards out and carries it all the way to goal before putting it under Harvey for the fourth Dal goal.

Full-time: 4-0 your final as Afani punishes his old team. Dal remain undefeated and SMU drop valuable points as they slip away from a playoff spot.

As It Happened: Dalhousie Tigers (W) v. Saint Mary's Huskies (W)

2009-09-27T19:00:00.002-03:00

Hi. This was not a nice fixture for SMU and blah blah blah. Lets' just be clear--this hasn't been a nice season for SMU so far. 1 goal in 4 games ain't good, and they've not scored against anyone except UNB this season. They didn't even come close against Dal in preseason.

So, naturally, Dal will rub it in by flaunting thier impressive goalkeeping depth, starting "back-up" Taryn McKenna tonight. She's very highly rated--looked superhuman in the warm-ups.

Given the fact she didn't take the warm-up, I'd guess Alannah MacLean's groin is still a problem. The good news is that whatever problem Hutchison had with rookie left-back Stephanie Crewe (inexperience, I think) was resolved in Moncton last week when she was named player of the game. So perhaps Katie Richard will finally get to attack a bit.

Teams:

Dal: McKenna, Huck, Henry, C. MacDonald, Crewe, Morrison, Santilli, O'Reilly, Blodgett, Donald, Landry.

So Hutchison goes with McKenna and no true striker.

SMU: Wilson, Langley, Caldwell, Fox, Diab, Holland, Pentz, Benedict, Rostaert, Hunter, Burgess.

Referee: Carl Gorsky.

1min: SMU kick-off. Dal have clearly been warned about the profanity during the CBU men's game two weeks ago. Anyone swearing will be thrown out. These things are never enforceable, though.

3min: Donald is playing striker, which she did last year for SMU. She can do it, but I don't know that it's her best position. She's sitting quite deep at the moment for a striker.

5min: It'll be interesting to see how McKenna does tonight. Some say she's better than Armstrong. Landry gets space for a shot but underhits it spectacularly. Wilson somehow manages to fumble it anyway, but there's no one there to capitalize.

10min: SMU look alright defensively--though Dal haven't really tested them yet.

12min: Some bad blood is already developing between Blodgett and Holland. Pushes and nast tackles have been thrown. Diab is ordered off for some reason, and replaced by Melissa Currie. Probably a hair problem, or maybe some blood.

16min: Blodgett tries a Steven gerrard-esque volley and discovers she's not Steven Gerrard.

18min: Morrison is mugged in the box and there are appeals for a penalty, but it would have been a harsh call.

20min: Landry with more solid pace aroudn Langley, but her shot is blocked. Currie and Diab swap again and Blodgett--who has looked decent so far--comes out for Kate MacDonald, who's announced as "Nugget."

24min: "Nugget" curls a corner off the post, but it was already behind the line.

25min: A nice glancing header from Rostaert gives McKenna her first real test of the afternoon.

27min: Donald with Dal's best chance now, beating Langley and forcing Wilson into another save. Landry's on hand to pot the rebound, but she just can't reach it.

28min: Kirbey Hunter comes off for Bermudan winger Kascia White, who looked good in preseason.

29min: GOAL! And SMU carefully direct a Dal corner past Wilson and it's 1-0 to Dal. After conferring with the Tigers' reserves in front of me, we've come to a hazy consensus that it might have probably been Pentz who put it in. She's certainly as likely as anyone to have done it out of that scrum.

34min: Santilli with some skill through the middle which looks to have unlocked a chance until Fox dispossess her.

38min: Donald with some more good work up front. SMU's defenders have really struggled to control the ball and it keeps pinging around the back line, giving Dal numerous chances.

40min: Huck sends a ball in and Donald is dumped in the D. Free kick which Santilli will hit....

41min: She fakes it and Huck skims it over the bar. Wilson was well beaten.

45+min: This half is puttering out like a certain well-known downtown sewage plant.

45+min: The ref calls half-time. Dal will likely lock this game down in the second. They're very good at that, which is why the first half was so choked after the own goal. It's a dangerous game, though. It's too easy to concede a soft goal on a corner kick--in other words, do exactly what SMU have already done.

Looks like it's the alumni day today. A nice kind of occasion, although it seems somewhat disorgainzed so far. A lot of people standing around. Watch for a ceremony between the games.

Oh wait, here they come now! Ceremony! Ceremony! They spend some time pointing out that it's been 10 years since Dal won a CIS gold medal. Just the sort of thought one wants, eh?

45min: Ah, here we go> The necessary trinkets have been presented and we're ready to go.

Here all all the subs:

-Hardy in for Landry
-Clarke in for White
-Johnstone in for Donald

Hardy's a solid veteran. She doesn't get much playing time, but her leadership is excellent.

49min: Lots more midfield banging. That'll suit Dal just fine, since SMU are getting very little possession and fewer chances.

50min: Hardy and Morrison link up well but make several too many passes and give Wilson an easier save than necessary as a result.

52min: Morrison battles for possession in the box and chips it up for "Nugget," who blasts it wide.

54min: Hardy gets ger head on a cross and directs it wide. Dal look like scoring.

56min: Penalty! Dal win a corner and SMu give a handball away in the box. Holland is booked for dissent, I think.

57min: GOAL! Huck slots cooly into the bottom corner to make it 2-0. I should mention that SMU are pretty upset about the call, and I can see why. It was a bit of an almighty scramble and it looked like ball-to-hand, though the action may also have blocked a very good scoring opportunity. Tough to say.

62min: Santilli fires wide on a prime opportunity. Hardy's brief appearance is over and Richard comes on.

64min: Free kick in the corner for Dal and it's cleared off the line. Dal win another corner.

65min: Another free kick to Dal, this one more centrally. Huck and Santilli are ready.

66min: O'Reilly fouls as it comes into the box, though.

67min: Colleen MacDonald misses her mark and Clarke breaks in but McKenna saves her weak shot.

69min: Dal go the way and Morrison is left unmarked in the box. She looks top corner but Wilson makes an incredible fingertip save to force it over.

73min: Caldwell comes off for Hunter.

74min: Given SMU's remarkable inability to score, I'd say Dal have this game wrapped, and comfortably.

77mi: Wilson is forced to snag away from over "Nugget's" head after another Johnstone-trademark cross.

78min: Johnston puts in a brilliant corner and O'Reilly has a rare attempt at goal, which is blocked.

79min: Johnstone will get to swing another ball in. It comes very close, too. Wilson gets levelled and misses the ball as a result. "Nugget" can't quite get to the rebound. Wilson looks like she's sometime in next week, but she's back up now, retrieving her golf cap and shaking it off.

84min: SMU bring off Diab and Clrake for Reeves and Turner-Chiasson. Dal switch Johnstone for Hardy.

86min: Huck sends another cross in and Wilson shies way from it. "Nugget" just misses, though.

90min: There will be two more minutes. Dal bring off Richard for Johnstone.

90+1min: SMU have no offense.

90+2min: Dal take it rather easily. They're still undefeated, but so are St. FX, who are tops of the conference right now. Should be a dandy when they come to town next Sunday--a top team and Teresa Morrison's first game against her former team, too.

As It Happened: Mount Saint Vincent Mystics (M) v. University of Kings' College Blue Devils (M)---ACAA

2009-09-26T00:13:00.002-03:00

I promise, no more bad action figure analogies (see previous posts).

Teams: UKC: Viner, Poulton, Bathe, Reid, Wallingford, Peacock, Reid, Boudreau, Parsley, MacIntyre, Karkilins.

MSVU: Forgeron, Burgess, Doell, Every, Choi, Andrew Thompson, Kreig, MacPherson, Goodwin, Hafez, Simmons.

1min: MSVU kick-off and lose possession.

2min: MacIntyre latches onto a pass from Bathe but his cross blows past everyone. A fell wind is on the air.

5min: GOAL! Karkilins scores, deflecting a bouncer past Forgeron and into the net. A soft goal.

8min: GOAL! Parsley scores, and that was too easy, with last week's ACAA player of the week trotting down the left channel and scoring with ease.

10min: Is this over already?

13min: MacIntyre blazes a shot just wide from a tight, but not impossible, angle.

19min: Craig Every--official long-ball thumper of the Mystics--thumps a long ball in the general direction of the Kings' net. not for the first time, it's intercepted.

20min: Boudreau forces Forgeron to his left with a nice low shot.

24min: Free kick about 26 yards out for MSVU. Choi will take it. A miss.

26min: Viner with an impressive strip on Simmons, as the Mystics' striker broke away from Poulton with very tangible ideas about scoring.

28min: A nice free kick in leaves Viner a spectator, this time. All the MSVU shirts in the box were also spectators, sadly.

30min: GOAL! Parsley is spotted by Anders Peacock, who rolls a nice pass behind the defenders. Forgeron simply isn't quick enough off his line and Parsley calmly chips it past him and into goal. MSVU need to have a thorough search of the locker room--their defenders haven't come out of it yet.

33min: Karkilins misses what should have been goal number 4 by millimetres after a nice hard cross from MacIntyre. And hasn't MacIntyre shown up this year! Last year he was a "grinder"--the guy who came on, intimidated the other team with his tackles, got booked, and then yanked off before he could be sent off. This year he's been explosive offensively while being just as strong physically. He's brought a much more rounded game this year and he's much more entertaining to watch. The yellow cards just show he's involved, now.

35min: Karkilins us cut down late and Everly ends up in the book. The free kick's in a dangerous position, especially with the wind, but Peacock misses with his left boot. He missed by quite a distance, too.

37min: Parsley nearly gets his third as Forgeron tries to make a save by charging miles out of his net when he didn't really need to. He doesn't save it, but Parsley's shot sails wide, instead.

39min: MSVU with some sustained pressure, although mainly due to a shoddy throw-in call which allowed the Mystics to maintain possession.

40min: What footwork from MacIntyre, leaving Kreig for dead and then picking out Karkilins, who mishits his shot.

43min: The Mount earn a chance and Simmons misses a rather easy volley. It doesn't matter, though, play was already called for some offense or another.

44min: Forgeron with a save! Boudreau didn't have much of an angle, but a decent save and Forgeron did well to hold it, too.

45min: MacIntyre gets a stud in the knee and launches into a series of expletives which might have gotten him booked if his complaints weren't completely justified.

45+min: GOAL! An odd one, too. Parsley does some amazing ball work to evade an out of position Forgeron, but he's dispossed at the top of the box. Karkilins claims it and fires into an open goal, but Choi's arm gets in the way. Before the ref can blow, Boudreau's put it in anyway. The ref lets it stand, and Choi gets booked for his blatant handball. He's probably lucky to escape a red--if advantage hadn't been played then he'd have denied a goal scoring opportunity, which is a textbook sending-off.

Half-time is called.

45min: So here are the MSVU changes: Scott Thompson is on for Hafez, Meagher for Andrew Thompson, and Little is also in for Simmons.

46min: Scott Thompson is immediately booked for dissent on a nothing offside call.

49min: Karkilins has a try from a distance. It slices across his body and just misses the far post. Nice shot, and Forgeron had no chance if that had been on target.

50min: MSVU are a fairly static team, an the wind is playing havoc with their long passes. Kings' are keeping it down and are able to move it very quickly, even in the high winds.

53min: Turkish midfielder Ibrahim Yuksel replaces MacPherson.

54min: A nice MSVu cross is cut back and comes to Little three yards from goal. He misses the net.

55min: MSVU are beginning to get the wind in their direction and the long balls are now causing Kings' a little more trouble. MSVU still have to find a way around 6'4" Greg Bathe, who is phenomenal in the air.

56min: Corner to MSVU. Palmer-Dxon comes on for Kings'. Not sure who went off, though it might have been Peacock. Simmons comes back in, Burgess comes out.

57min: Poulton draws a yellow for catching Krieg late. The fans around me are of the opinion Krieg embellished and I'd say they've got a point, though it may still have warranted a card. Krieg made the most of it, though.

60min: Boudreau fouls up a bike kick, but props for the effort anyhow.

61min: Little and Simmons link up in attack, but the latter misses from close range. Not the first time the Mystics (or Simmons, for that matter) have done that.

66min: Burleton has evidently replaced Karkilins at some point. MacIntyre commits a stupid foul in the midfield.

67min: MacIntyre hammers a shot Forgeron's way, which the Mystics' keeper does well to save.

69min: GOAL! Parsley gets his third! MacIntyre holds it up nicely for Kings', and finds Parsley, who drills his shot low into the corner. Between the quality of the shot and the wind, Forgeron had no chance. Superb strike from Parsley, too, very deserving of goal number three. Curci has just replaced Bathe. What a game for Parsley--perhaps deserving of a second stright player of the week honour?

73min: Nice chance for Little, but he contrives to drill his shot into Viner's gut.

74min: Every flirts with ejection for arguing a call as he was being lectured on hauling down Palmer-Dixon.

78min: Kings' get a bit restless (and possibly bored) and decide to shoot from 40 yards out. The effort is predictably weak.

80min: MSVU generate some more pressure, but they just don't look like they can score. Not passing quickly enough, a lack of decision-making. Kings' have been good, if not brilliant defensively. A team could break them down, but not the Mount.

82min: Boudreau decides to loose a shot into the wind and see where it goes. It nearly goes in, but not quite as it curls wide. Wallingford comes off for Straatof.

85min: Some more MacIntyre magic results in a corner from a narrow, deflected miss. It comes to nothing.

90min: Full-time. Another 5-0 thumping. Kings' have now scored 5 goals against 3 of the 5 other teams in the ACAA--they've played 4 of them, have yet to play UNBSJ, and were limited to three and then two against Holland College. All this while conceding just five goals. And still, C.J. Young seems less than ecstatic with the performance. He may just be trying to keep confidence down, but it does make you wonder what they're capable of in the playoffs.

As It Happened: Mount Saint Vincent Mystics (W) v. University of Kings' College Blue Devils (W)---ACAA

2009-09-25T21:37:00.002-03:00

As if they needed more scoring, the Mount have added further rookie strikers, who, if the scorelines last week are anything to go by, know how to get the ball in the net. They have a very young back line, though, which won't be much comfort to Kings' if they play like they did on Sunday, that is, badly. Holland College didn't need a back line on Sunday.

I don't need much build-up--it's the Mount against Kings'. Expect at least a few "mistimed" challenges and a few goal, especially from MSVU's Sarah Parker, who nobody can figure out how to stop. Parker has also taken on captaincy duties tonight, a duty which she takes over from, I believe, Deirdre Gormley, who has departed.

And Gormley's an interesting case, too. She wasn't very fast and she didn't look like a soccer player--until she made a pass. The best vision in the ACAA hands-down, a good shot, great touch, and an excellent passer. She'll be missed for MSV, that's for sure.

Teams: UKC: Bishop, Spessot, Kraus, Skinner, McKenzie, Trueland, Cousens, Yang, Crothers, Flatley, Smith.

MSVU: Church (and not MacDermid, which is either very bold or Church is a better keeper, which is hard to believe given how good MacDermid is), LeBlanc, O'Neil, Pettipas, Melanson, Dockrill, Edwards, Westerhaver, Parker.

1min: MSVU kick-off. Kings' immediately concede a chance on goal.

3min: Now Kings' with a chance of their own. Church claims it well. Maybe she is better than MacDermid.

5min: Smith with a volley. Church misjudges it and fumbles it out for a corner. Maybe not.

7min: LeBlanc dribbles adventurously past her own goalkeeper and out of play for another Kings' corner.

9min: Skinner passes to Parker in her box. Kraus bails her out. That all started because Trueland lost Edwards on the wing. Trueland's not the fastest and she'll have difficulty out wide today. MSVU are quick all over.

11min: A very nice long pass from Smith allows Flatley to speed past Pettipas like Tom Cruise in "Top Gun." She wins a corner, from which Kings' go offside on the initial delivery--somehow.

13min: McKenzie makes a great challenge and Yang sends a pass in diagonally for Flatley. Flatley wins yet another corner from which Kings' get very little.

16min: GOAL! Flatley takes the goal off another beautiful through pass from Smith. Clinical finish, too, low into the far corner where Church had little chance of getting down to it.

18min: Skinner and Spessot combine for some queasy defending at the back. Giving the ball away all a little too easily here.

20min: GOAL! And with the kind of skill that befits the Mount, Edwards equalises for the Mount. She finds a pass from Parker at the top of the box and loops a scintillating curler into the top corner. that looked like a free kick on a first touch shot. She even dummied slightly before shooting an unstoppable shot. Man, even when they look bad the Mount look good.

24min: GOAL! Oh dear! Kraus looks to have made a great defensive play by holding the ball in when it might have gone out for a corner. But she's a bit hesitant on the ball and Dockrill slide passes and Chrissy Henneberry puts home from 20 yards. Bishop kinda.... Well, "missed" is the gentlest word. She should've had that.

26min: So, Kings' are 2-1 down after a very promising start. Bishop's last major flub was int he playoffs last year. She's often very solid, but her bad games tend to show up especially brightly.

28min: Corner to MSVU. Bishop comes, misses, and Melanson gets the ball at neck height for a tap in. It's too tricky for her to handle and Kings' clear, and Bishop gets away with a miss, there, too.

29min: Kings' counter nicely through Smith, but Flatley puts her cross behind. There wasn't anyone in front anyway

32min: Flatley gets a fortuitous pass from Smith and rolls to Church. Kings' look a bit like a team with an identity problem. They are at their best on the counter, but when under any sort of duress, they tend to resort to long ball. Trueland comes off for Miesner, which is a bit of a pace upgrade on the right.

36min: Miesner gets into a conversation with a toddler on the touchline as she goes to take throw--discussing tactics, I presume. MSVU withdraw Melanson, who looked great going forward and rather suspect coming backward, for Jessica Lilly.

37min: Lilly, initially confused as to which team she plays for, sets up Allison Smith for a shot, which she sends wide.

38min: Spessot with a silly mistake as she lets the ball bounce over her and straight to Sarah Parker. Parker can't elude Kraus and Spessot recovers well. She concedes a free kick in doing so, and Dockrill hammers it just wide.

43min: A bit of a lull, but it's broken by a fantastic cross from Westerhaver. Parker misses, but Dockrill gets space and has a go. It deflects to Bishop and the Kings' keeper deals with it fairly easily.

Half-time: Kings' have recovered quite nicely from the 2-goal shock. And they look fairly tight, especially up front. It's worth remembering MSVU have been playing with the wind, which gave Bishop some trouble and accelerates their shots. Kings' will have that advantage in the second half.

45min: Subs are up, with Courtney McMaster replacing Westerhaver for MSVU. No changs for Kings'.

47min: Kings' continue their habit of yielding possession very easily. Parker takes advantage and gets in alone, but Bishop charges out and Parker panics a bit by shooting wide.

49min: A clash out on the wing sees Kings' win a free kick. The delivery is not one of Spessot's best and it goes out for a goal kick.

51min: Kings' work some possession, from which Smith tries a last hope shot. It doesn't work out.

53min: MSVU work a forward move with great flair and beauty, until McMaster bottles it by trying a one-touch cross, tripping over her own feet, and falling flat on her face.

55min: Yang's been swearing a lot tonight, which isn't a great sign. Generally, whenever the ball comes near her and she flubs a touch. She still looks a bit tentative out there.

59min: GOAL! Smith gets a lucky bounce after a tremendous run from Flatley along the by-line. Smith's poise would have looked better with a clinical sort of finish, but as it stands it's deflected awkwardly off of O'Neil in front of Church and it loops in.

61min: Now Smith puts in a great run of her won, winning a corner. Smith wins another corner.

62min: From which Dockrill clears off the line! Smith deflects the cross onto goal and Dockrill heads clear. McKenzie follows up with a dangerous strike, it's over the goal.

65min: Kings' are holding Parker pretty well, a job which has been done mostly by Kraus.

68min: Yang with a good touch around Dockrill, but she follows it up with a poor pass. The game as nodded off right now.

72min: Kings' are winning the midfield. MSVU are really missing Gormley.

76min: Flatley is levelled by LeBlanc, but it's a fair tackle and the ref lets play continue.

78min: Lilly whiffs on a goal kick. Smith intercepts and has her shot blocked. Crothers now gets it and elects to shoot from the kind of distance from which very few goals are scored. Smith gets one last chance, but her shot is blown wide by the wind.

79min: Both sets of strikers are having difficulty getting the ball, despite Flatley's "Top Gun" pace and the continual whiffed goal kicks from Mount players.

80min: McMaster, whose main accomplishment tonight has been a display of one-touch crossing comedy (53min), now runs into Dockrill and loses possession. This game may be pretty much locked down, but at least we've got some entertainment.

84min: Flatley in alone! She gets by Lilly with Millennium Falcon type speed (sorry), but Church looms large and saves it.

86min: Yang, who's shown signs of cramp all night, finally goes down with some obvious cramp. Dowler's ready to come on, but Yang elects to keep on playing. She doesn't do a lot of flat-out running, anyway.

89min: Looking like a draw here--except Flatley puts on a turn of pace more reminiscent of...something really fast that I can't think of right now...and gets in again. Her shot is good, but Church preserves a point.

Full-time: That's it, and a much better show than Sunday for Kings'.

As It Happened: UKC (M) v. Holland College (M)---ACAA

2009-09-25T13:58:00.002-03:00

Teams:

UKC: Pyne, Wallingford, Bathe, Poulton, Reid, MacIntyre, Boudreau, Curci, Peacock, Karkilins, Burleton.

HC: Tanner, Kacsmarik, Gallant, O'Donnell, Vessey, #15, #16, DesRoches, 12, 21, 22. Sorry, their rosters are, as the women's coach told me, inaccurate.

1min: Just finished an interview with the women's coach. Kings' kick off with MacIntyre on the attack.

3min: Corner to Kings' which MacIntyre will put in. It's played to Curci, who whiffs an easy chance.

8min: Lots of attacking from Kings', who have scored on average 4.3 goals per game this year, including 3 against Holland last weekend.

9min: Peacock gest in alone, but he can't manage a chance. Gallant does well to stop him.

11min: Pyne is tested by a low cross which would have gone in had he not pushed it away.

12min: O'Donnell wastes an otherwise decent free kick by going for goal from 35 yards. He misses.

15min: GOAL! Kings' open it up after a poorly cleared free kick falls to Anders Peacock. he does well to keep his shot low and Tanner can't get enough behind it to save.

18min: Peacock trots down the left. Holland decide he isn't worth worrying about. He isn't, either--at least, not this time, as his shot goes wide.

19min: Reid wafts in a free kick, but Tanner collects it. Holland don't look very interested in this game right now.

21min: Great build-up by Kings', as Curci finds a streaking MacIntyre. His cross picks out Peacock with all kinds of time, but he dinks it straight at tanner from 5 yards out. How did he miss that?

23min: Kings' free kick into the wall froma dangerous position.

25min: Holland win a corner, which doesn't make it past the first defender.

27min: Kings' are running circles around HC at the moment. They're faster and they're more technically skilled, too.

29min: This could very well get ugly. Kings' could even get better in the second half.

33min: O'Donnell wastes another free kick by driving a "pass" out over the byline from 53 yards.

36min: Wallingford--who had been walking a disciplinary tight-rope for assisting MacIntyre in some skullduggery--is booked for an otherwise innocuous challenge on 21.

38min: Peacock again evades 9 and wastes a shot.

42min: GOAL! And that's probably it for Justin Pyne's streak of consecutive starts (2). Goodness, what a howler. 12 falters on his chance and mishits his shot straight towards Pyne with all the momentum of a stalled car. Pyne not only spills it but manages to fall over and push it behind himself at the same time. 12 jumps up, scampers around Pyne, and pokes the gift-wrapped ball home. Oh well, at least Josh Viner's confidence will be through the roof right now. I'd say Kings' have a goalkeeping controversy alright. Viner starts and blows the Holland and NSAC games, so Pyne comes in and isn't tested against St. Thomas and gives Holland College a life-line. That's a game-changing goal, too, late and it puts Kings' dominance in a completely new light.

45+min: MacIntyre nearly gets to the ball before Tanner does and gets booked for doing his job as a striker. C.J. Young and Matt Fegan both holler about it and are both told to sit down by the assistant referee. Young's probably pretty close to getting sent off here, this isn't the first round of shouting tonight. That will likely be his final warninng. MacIntyre's now been booked in two straight games.

45+min: Half-time is called and Fegan goes to the ref to exchange views.

45min: Well, Pyne's still in, though I noticed he got a private pep talk with Matt fegan at half-time. And a short catching lesson. Parsley is replacing MacIntyre for Kings', which is probably protecting MacIntyre from a card-happy ref. Mullet and 16 are in for Holland College, with 21 and someone I couldn't see coming out.

47min: Boudreau misses, after controlling well in the box off a free kick.

48min: DesRoches with a cross which Pyne catches. Those lessons at half-time are paying off already.

50min: I've just managed a spectacular evasion of a fresh barrage of pigeon dropping and nesting materials from the rafters. I'm now hiding under the press box again.

55min: Free kick to HC, wide left. It's sent in low and Pyne catches it.

56min: Kings' swap Sam Burleton for Rylan Palmer-Dixon.

60min: 22 misses a glorious chance. Pyne had collided with O'Donnell on a challenge, but the ball fell to 22 with an open goal. He hesitated, though, and Pyne managed to recover, forcing him to fire well wide.

61min: A phantom free kick to Kings'. Karkilins gets his head on the delivery but can only direct it wide.

67min: Kings' will make another change, with Boudreau replaced by Mark Higgins. An attacking sub by C.J. Young there. He's going with three real attacking-style players in Higgins, Karkilins, and Peacock.

71min: Wallingford makes a dreadful pass straight to 22, but the Kings' defender somehow escapes punishment as 22 lacks the pace to open up the rest of the Blue Devils' defense.

72min: Higgins slides a nice pass to Peacock, who blazes over the bar. I don't think he realised how much time he had.

76min: Kings' maybe shouldn't have taken MacIntyre off. They've lacked his pace and energy in the second half. Karkilins is booked for very little, as far as I can tell, though he did go in a bit hard on 14.

81min: DesRoches cuts down Higgins, who stays down. DesRoches gets booked. The free kick is cleared by Tanner, who is fouled.

83min: Two changes, with DesRoches off for 10 and Higgins off for Straatof.

85min: Another change for HC. 22 comes off for 15.

86min: Free kick to Holland on the right, top of the box. And it's a very nearly a goal from the substitute! 15 loops it over the wall and Pyne. It hits the bar, hits Pyne's back, a few different players whack at it and it somehow comes clear and we stay 1-1.

88min: Dangerous corner opportunity for Holland as a free kick is cleared.

90min: GOAL! Oh dear for Holland! A great ball through finds Peacock. Tanner makes a beautiful save but Karkilins is first to the rebound and Tanner in no position to save it. O'Donnell argues something with the ref and is booked for it.

Full-time: The ref blows for time right off the kick-off, sending O'Donnell into further conniptions, for which he is sent off. He'll now miss the MSVU game. Kings' may not ahve deserved this one, but they'll take it, I'm sure.

As It Happened: UKC (W) v. Holland College (W)---ACAA

2009-09-25T13:27:00.002-03:00

Due to a series of inexplicable bus delays and road construction, I'm a bit late. Pre-kick-off but post-warm-up. So you're spared my pre-game musings.

Teams:

UKC: Bishop, Spessot, Kraus, Skinner, Anderso, McKenze, Crothers, Miesner, Cousens, Flatley, Smith.

HC (note: online roster is incorrect, Holland College website is outdated, so these may be incorrect): Wheatley, MacEachern, Younker, #22, MacKay, Bernard, MacPhee, McKenna, Robinson, Jewell, MacLeod.

1min: Nothing happening off the kick-off. Holland College with the early pressure.

4min: Pretty even game so far, though Holland have looked a lot sharper than STUdid yesterday. HC put Kings' out of the playoffs last year,and drew hem 1-1 in the season opener.

6min: Cousens controls a spilled clearance and should have a go from the top of the box, but she hesitates and loses out to MacPhee.

8min: Kraus gets rid of a dangerous pass before Robinson could get a touch. Solid from Kraus.

10in: Interesting 3-4-3 formation from Holland College. it's a rather attacking approach compared to Kings' defensive 3-5-2.

11min: MacLeod gets around Spessot wth a craftystep but her cross meets only Kraus' head.

13min: Flatley collides with Robinson and comes up limping. Kings' have no substitutes today, as Dowler, Trueland, Yang, Cutler, Bowen, and possibly the water carrier are nursng injuries.

15min: Anderson makes way early for Cutler, who appears healthy enough to play. Infurther injury news, Trisha MacKay s down and not putting weight on her right leg. She's getting treatment on the near sideline now and it looks like she might be done for the day.

19min: Holland bring MacKay off for Stephanie LeBlanc. MacKay looks a bit better now--she walked off--but she probably won't return.

23min: Half a chance for Kings' as Wheatley and Flatley go for the same ball and both lose out. Nothing comes of the confusion, though.

25min: Free kick 34 yards out for Holland College. It's wafted into Bishop's waiting arms.

31min: Holland College have a definite technical advantage over Kings'. They're fast and skilled on the counter. Yet to really test Bishop, but they look capable.

35min: Holland settling into a spell of pressure. They win a corner. It's put in very well by Robinson but Kraus beats Jewell to the ball and then MacLeod can't finish the follow-up shot.

38min: The through ball tactics for Holland College are pretty, but they ahve yet to solve Kraus, who is breaking up every forward move at the moment.

39min: Holland College win a corner and Robinson sends a dangerous header well wide. Kraus,a gain, was the boss in that challenge, spillign Robinson before she could get much on the ball.

44min: Feisty tackle from McKenzie, who takes out Jewell hard, but fairly. Holland College retaliate and concede a free kick.

45min: Half-time called with few true scoring opportunities. Kings' have conceded quite a few corners, which may worry them a bit.

It's obvious Kings' are missing Yang. She holds the ball in the midfield so well, and she can find players going forward, which allows Smith and Flatley to run off of defenders instead of having to run around defenders.

Down behind the Kings' goal, Stacey Stocco is grilling her team loudly enough that I can hear her over the wind way up hear in the stands. Expect a small singed patch to be left on the turf after she's done down there.

45min: Second half icks off with Holland swapping McKenna for MacKay. And Hye-Yeon Yang makes an appearance after all, replacing Smith. Robinson comes off for McEwen, too. Yang will really help Kings' through the middle, assuming she can bring her best game coming off an injury.

47min: A corner comes in from MacEachern, which everyone misses in the box. Kings' have dropped to more of a 4-5-1 with Yang in, although she's quite high in the midfield behind Flatley.

49min: Bishop hurt! She'll keep playing, though, so Kings' still have a goalkeeper.

50min: Kings' give away two more corners, struggling to clear both. It's a dangerous game to play. It's too easy to lose a mark or give away a penalty.

51min: Holland free kick, 29 yards out. MacEachern hits it with authority and it's out of Bishop's reach, but just over the bar, too.

54min: Kraus saves Kings' again, breaking up a 3 on 1 as Skinner whiffed on a clearance. They repay her by conceding a needless free kick, 20 yards out.

55min: Fantastic double save off the free kick! First Bishop palms away MacEachern's low shot and then she denies MacLeod's rebound try at close range. This game would be over without Kraus and Bishop. Kings' can't seem to get over half way at the moment, and it's constant pressure from Holland College.

59min: This is an ugly 0-0, at least for Kings'. It'll be ugly for Holland College if they fail to score, too.

61min: Yang's been a bit invisible so far. She's probably not 100% at the moment, but I also suspect she's not quite clicking with Flatley. there have been a couple misplaced passes, some miscommunication and some lack of positional understanding, too.

63min: There really does seem to be a goal in the cards for Holland. Kings' are playing desperate. Stocco might want to consider more than 3 at the back right now--Kings' are looking overwhelmed.

64min: Yang makes a decent run, but receives no support. It eventually goes out for a goal kick.

67min: Flatley tests Wheatley from 25 yards out. It was never going in, but Wheatley was careful with it. In the spirit of trying hopelessly to score, Cousens goes for goal from 35 yards. It's wide.

73min: Miesner is brought off and replaced by Smith as Stocco looks for offense. Yang drops back into a deeper role, which she tends to do better in.

74min: Good defending from Spessot, who holds MacLeod off on the break.

75min: Again Spessot denies MacLeod, this time on the turn. Kings' may be inept in the final two thrids of the field, but they've defended very, very well today.

80min: Smith rolls a shot to Wheatley for fun.

82min: Spessot gets beaten by MacLeod this time, but LeBlanc can't get on the end of her cross, which was pretty good.

84min: MacEwen sends LeBlanc in alone, but she takes way too many touches and Bishops strips her. At this point, Holland can only blame themselves for not scoring.

85min: Kings' give away a mystery foul 24 yards out. MacEachern can score from here.

86min: MacEachern beast the wall but puts it three feet over the net. Not her best free kick.

90min: Smith goes down on the wing, but McKenzie floats a cross in. Cousens gets her head on it and Wheatley does very well to save it.

90+min: The resulting corner is whipped in and Wheatley gets only her palms on it. Yang has an open goal from two yards out but somehow contrives to hit the post. As Holland clear the ref calls time.

Kings' can count themselves quite lucky to come out 0-0, though they defended well and nearly snatched a goal at the death. Not a game they'll take much encouragement from, but they can rally for the game against MSVU.

Holland must be ruing that they didn't score today. 3 points were their's to take.

Match Report: UKC (M) 5 - 0 STU(M)---Round 3 ACAA

2009-09-21T18:20:00.005-03:00

The men's Blue Devils rolled to another easy victory on Saturday, scoring 5 goals for the second time in four days against St. Thomas.

This time, they didn't give up a goal, though, after conceding an own goal against NSAC on Wednesday in a 5-2 win.

It was the second half which again gave Kings' their win, as they scored 4 of their 5 in the second frame.

Sam Karkilins started the scoring off in the 30th with a brilliant stepover to fool Tommies' 'keeper Aaron Ahier, before rolling his shot home as Brendan Wile tried to block it.

Then Neil MacIntyre entered the game in the second half, taking up a wing position.

The usually defensive player made an immediate impact in the 52nd minute, taking down a long diagonal pass with a deft first touch and striking a curler into the bottom corner with his second.

In the 54th minute, he did it again. Again a masterful touch set his shot and this time he fooled Ahier by pulling across the net and finding the side netting, to put Kings' 3-0 up.

The game began to get chippy and four yellow cards were handed out in the last 30 minutes and a few more might have been given by a stricter referee.

Mark Higgins scored a header in the 80th minute, off a MacIntyre cross. Then Michael Curci scored another header in the 90th to make it 5-0.

"The STU team, if we were to face them in the semi-final or the final, they wouldn't play like they did tonight," said coach C.J. Young. "They'd play more gritty. They're not really trying to show themselves. A lot of teams do that. Where in the league they won't show their strengths, they'll just sort of coast through and hope they make the playoffs and surprise other teams."

Unofficial Stats

Goals: UKC-5; STU-0
Shots on Targert: UKC-6; STU-1
Attempts: UKC-12; STU-5
Fouls: UKC-22; STU-13
Cautions: UKC-3; STU-2 (15' Brendan Parsley; 76' Brandon Wile; 78' Andreas Straatof; 79' Neil MacIntyre; 90' Daniel Steeves)
Ejections: UKC-0; STU-0
Corners: UKC-6; STU-3
Offsides: UKC-2; STU-2

Match Report: UKC (W) 1 - 0 STU (W)---Round 3 ACAA

2009-09-21T18:19:00.001-03:00

The Kings' Blue Devils got a win on Saturday, but they missed a number of easy chances against St. Thomas.

Irene Flatley, though, managed to snag a winner in the 71st minute.

"The scoreline should have been four or five-nil," said Blue Devil's coach Stacey Stocco. "But you don't finish your chances you're given, you end up with a 1-0 result, which, you know, I'm not complaining. It's a win."

Flatley was at the heart of a lot of chances, using her pace to get onto long passes. She struggled at times to finish, though, and had difficulty getting it by Tommies' 'keeper Sarah Wardell.

She also won a number of free kicks, giving Kelly Cousens a chance to test Wardell in the 23rd minute. Cousens sent her shot over Wardell and off the bar, though.

After 71 minutes, Flatley managed to score, rounding Jessica Bruce and rolling her shot low past Wardell for a 1-0 lead.

Cousens then hit the bar again in the 77th minute, with a wonderful curling shot that deserved a goal.

Stocco employed a 3-5-2 formation all game, using Sarah Kraus as the lone true centre-back, and moving Cousens higher, into an attacking midfield role. It marks a change from Gillian Costelo's 4-1-4-1 system last year.

St. Thomas had almost no offensive pressure and Krista Bishop had a quiet night for Kings'. Although she commanded her box well and gathered several crosses, she was never tested with a shot.

Unofficial Stats

Goals: UKC-1; STU-0
Shots on Target: UKC-9; STU-0
Total Attempts: UKC-19; STU-0
Fouls: UKC-2; STU-7
Cautions: UKC-0; STU-1 (30' Samantha Silver)
Ejections: UKC-0; STU-0
Corners: UKC-6; STU-0
Offsides: UKC-1; STU-0

As it Happened: University of Kings' College Blue Devils v. St. Thomas Tommies---Round 3 (ACAA)

2009-09-21T12:21:00.002-03:00

Hi, here are the teams. Don't you hate interviews that take too long?

UKC: Pyne, Straatof, Poulton, possibly Downes, Wallingford, Peacock, Kovacevic, Burleton, Boudreau, Parsley, Karkilins.

STU: Ahier, Higgins, Wile, Noel, Blizzard, Gregory, LaBrech, Olaya, Greer, Steeves. That's only 10, but I can't find the last guy.

1min: Parsley fires inches wide as I try to figure the teams out.

5min: Kings' get a corner and Parsley puts it off the bar. STU struggle to clear, but do.

9min: Karkilins streaks in and rounds Ahier, but Wile slides and clears off the line.

14min: Parsley gets bookedfor arguing a nothing foul.

15min: Parsley is dropped in the box with a really hard--and firmly illegal--challenge. No penalty. Maybe the ref remembered Parsley? Maybe?

20min: Karkilins gets on the end of a long throw and puts his cross out of play.

21min: Karkilins gets in behind but he's whistled for a shoulder barge initiated by the defender. How strange.

24min: A STU free kick floats past three waiting heads, none of whom can put it in. Kings' were lucky and Pyne might want to advise his back line next time.

28min: Wallingford with some good defending down the right, with Higgins pounding towards him. Excellent poise from the rookie.

30min: GOAL! More pace from Karkilins, who runs onto a long ball, pulls a brilliant step-over to fool Ahier and rolls in, this time before Wile can slide it clear, although he tried and nearly made it.

32min: Kovacevic with a some excellent control, but it's deflected wide.

37min: Kings' begin to take this game over with marc Boudreau forcing Ahier into a solid save.

41min: Karkilins drill a cross past Ahier but by the time Parsley gets to it his angle is horrible and he misses the goal with the shot.

44min: Great chance for Steeves, but Poulton clears, narrowly missing his own net. The corner comes to nothing.

45min: Olaya finds space in the box test Pyne but it doesn't matter because he'd been ruled offside.

Half-time: Solid showing from Kings' so far, who are slowly taking this over. STU had a good last 10 minutes, though, which tends to be a pivotal time. We'll see.

45min: Kings' start the second half with an enthralling back pass.

47min: Kings' win a corner with a shot Ahier tipped over. It pings around the box and Karkilins nearly breaks free, but he can't quite get away.

51min: STU free kick, 30 yards out. Kings' clear it.

52min: GOAL! MacIntyre scores, after coming on at half-time. He streaks onto a ball down the right and strikes a lovely low curler on his second touch. Great goal and a great finish.

54min: GOAL! MacIntyre again! Another ball down the right, and another superb second touch strike, hard across the net and into the side. 3-0. STU bring off Cedric Noel and replace him with Donald Peters.

63min: STU aren't showing much now, and this game is basically over.

69min: Kings' make a change, with Poulton coming off for Downes, who may have come out at half-time. Curci, who came in at half-time for Kovacevic, gets the armband.

71min: Karkilins and Peacock off for Mark Higgins and Boudreau.

75min: MacIntyre drills his hat trick attempt miles wide and high. That was never, ever going in.

76min: Wile is booked for a niggly foul in midfield. Nothing comes of the free kick.

77min: Straatof gest booked for pulling down Olaya, who's not very happy wish the challenge. This is getting a little chippy.

78min: Free kick to STU on the left. La Brech sends it into the wall. The follow-up is unspeakably bad.

79min: MacIntyre pulls through by getting himself booked for a challenge on Olaya that can only be described as senseless. 65 ayrds from goal, near the touchline, and two-footed.

80min: GOAL! Kings' make it 4 with a nice cross from MacIntyre which Higgins heads in.

82min: Olaya lunges into Curci with both feet and from behind. That was pretty malicious, butthe ref shows no card.

86min: Corner to Kings'. It's bananaed in, but Pyne catches it.

90min: GOAL! Steeves is booked for something or other and the resulting free kick finds the head of Curci, who nods it into the top shelf. 5-0.

Full-time: Solid showing from Kings', including from Pyne. Two five goal games in a row and this time, they don't concede. They look like they could take anybody right now.

University of Kings' College Blue Devils (W) 1 - 0 St. Thomas University Tommies

2009-09-19T22:55:00.004-03:00

This is the first game I've covered in the rain, so this could be tricky, especially in Dal Physics' official wind tunnel otherwise known as Wickwire Field.

The ACAA rosters came out this morning, so most of the names should be right. Aside from elite midfielder Allie Akers, Kings' is mostly intact from last year. STU have a massive women's team this year. The men are sitting in front of me complaining about the large women's roster. Apparently it's caused them to have to downgrade thier bus for the trip. It does look a little more like a Metro Transit bus than most teams would like. One guy termed it a "prison bus," which is a pretty accurate description.

Kings' still only has one goalkeeper. Krista Bishop is very skilled (with the notable exception of during last year's playoffs, which I think she'd like to forget), but if she gets hurt we could be watching Sarah Kraus play goal.

Kings' also have a new coach, in Stacey Stocco, who hailed from Adelaide, Australia. She replaces Gillian Costelo for Kings'.

And last year's striker of choice, Neesha Madhvani has also departed. Irene Flatley scored against NSAC mid-week. Yang can score, as can Cutler, but both of them are hurt today. Look for Allison Smith to start with Flatley. For the record, defender Jamie Trueland is also hurt.

Teams are coming out, looking quite proper. No clock, so all times are estimates.

UKC (3-5-2): Bishop, Spessot, Kraus, Skinner, Miesner, Cousens, McKenzie, Anderson, Crothers, Flatley, Smith.

STU (4-4-2): Wardell, McCulloch, Gallie, Bruce, Alisah Benedict, Del Frate, McKinnon, Waddell, Cross, Firlotte, Silver.

1min: Kick-off. Kings' have initial possession. They loop one to Wardell, but it's an easy save.

5min: Lots of midfield battling and little forward movement so far.

6min: Free kick to UKC out wide right. Miesner puts it in short. Flatley nearly getys space, but her attemp to win a corner results in a goal kick.

7min: Flatley breaks in and slides to shoot. It beats the keeper but rolls wide.

9min: STU have brought maybe 35 fans and a banner! Yes, a banner. This sets new levels for a Kings' home game. It's actually a terrible banner, but that's not the point. It reads "Go Team Go." There might be 4 Kings' fans here. They're either press (me) or they work for the program.

11min: Corner to Kings' after a good foray by Cousens. They work some box play and there's a whiff of handball, but the STU defense holds.

14min: Kings' are missing Yang's creativity in midfield. The link-up is still quite smooth, but not as deadly.

15min: Kings' are also playing into a considerable wind. They've been putting long balls in to get their strikers running onto as the wind holds them up. Wardell is also struggling with the wind and she miscommits before scampering back to recover.

18min: Kings' win a corner. It's initially cleared, then sent back in, but Flatley was ruled offside. That might be a bit of a harsh call--she looked on to me, although I don't have the best angle.

19min: Flatley dashes in again. Wardell wins the race to the ball but Flatley makes sure to kick her in the gut on her way by.

21min: Smith cuts inside after Flatley is cut down. Flatley gets up and looks for a return pass, but Smith elects to shoot, and misses.

22min: STU concede a free kick very near the box as Flatley is dropped again. Her pace is causing real problems for STU. And Kings' hit the bar as Cousens loops the wide free kick in with Wardell looking rather helpless.

26min: STU are getting nothing past the monster otherwise known as Sarah Kraus. She pops up wherever STU have space and devours it.

29min: Flatley in again and she shoots low into Wardell's arms. There's a good chance that if she doesn't score, she'll win a penalty with her pace.

30min: STU get a chance in the box. Bishop claims the ball and Samantha Silver clatters her in competition for it. The ref shows her a yellow, but that play was fair game for Silver. Tough decision, there.

34min: Flatley in again, trying this time to poke it past Wardell. She doesn't get anywhere near enough on it and Wardell holds on.

36min: Flatley bangs her way past Gallie and goes down in the area, but the ref waves her up.

38min: Smith gets between the two centrebacks and goes for goal. Wardell stops the shot with her face and STU find a way to clear it.

45min: Smith finagles down the left, gets on her right foot, and fires over from twelve yards.

Half-time comes scoreless, but Kings' should really be winning this game. Chance after chance hasn't quite gone in. It'll interesting to see if (fairly) new coach (she's three games in) Stacey Stocco can motivate them to perform better.

45min: Kings' kick-off. Anderson on for Crothers.

48min: Kings' win a corner off of a STU defensive mistake. It's underhit and wasted.

51min: Flatley gets in behind Wardell, but the ref calls her for a foul on the Tommies' 'keeper. Probably the right call.

59min: King's are bossing this, but still not finishing well.

66min: A boring game livens up a bit as Kings' win a free kick wide right. It's straight to Wardell, who catches easily.

69min: Kings' are looking a bit tired. They played mid-week against NSAC and the pace is beginning to edge away. Yang would help here.

71min: GOAL! Flatley finally finishes! She dances (pardon the bad Riverdance pun) around Bruce, takes a moment to size it up, edges around Wardell and slots home very nicely.

73min: Kings' will almost definitely sit back now, they have the resources in Cousens and Kraus to lock this game down.

75min: Kings' nearly get caught on the counter, though. There are only three at the back which seems a tad risky, given the score.

77min: Kings' win a debatable free kick, which Cousens loops over Wardell and off the bar again. She's unlucky today. Two stunning free kicks and two crossbars.

79min: Flatley evades Bruce again andtries to pick out Smith, but she overhits the pass and Wardell claims.

85min: Kings' should go 2-0 up, but Flatley misses two great opportunities. She managed to find a rebound inches from goal and succeeded only in wafting it over the bar.

88min: No subs in this game, which is odd, though understandable. Kings' onlyhave 12 healthy players. Keeping 11 on the pitch has been hard enough.

90min: Haley Anderson goes down inured. Kings' lack a sub option at this point, so Sarah Dowler--who's also hurt--comes on.

Full-time: Kings' locked it down alright, and they take 3 points as a result. They play again tomorrow.

ACAA run-down

2009-09-17T18:46:00.003-03:00

--Dylan Matthias

Source Material: www.acaa.ca

Men:

HC 1 - 1 MSVU
UNBSJ 1 - 1 NSAC
STU 1 - 1 NSAC
HC 2 - 3 UKC
NSAC 2 - 5 UKC (Kings' scored 5 unanswered goals in the second half after going down 2-0)

Women:

STU 1 - 2 ABU
UNBSJ 3 - 1 NSAC
HC 1 - 2 MSVU (Sarah Parker with both Mount goals)
STU 0 - 2 NSAC
ABU 1 - 6 UNBSJ (three goals by Jennifer Bergeron for SJ)
HC 1 - 1 UKC
NSAC 0 - 2 UKC (Flatley and Jang scored for UKC)

Men's Standings:

(from www.acaa.ca)

Team	GP	Wins	Ties	Losses	PF	PA	Points	Rank
UKC	2	2	0	0	8	4	6	1
NSAC	3	0	2	1	4	7	2	2
MSVU	1	0	1	0	1	1	1	3
UNBSJ	1	0	1	0	1	1	1	4
STU	1	0	1	0	1	1	1	5
HC	2	0	1	1	3	4	1	6

Women's Standings

(from www. acaa.ca)

Team	GP	Wins	Ties	Losses	PF	PA	Points	Rank
UNBSJ	2	2	0	0	9	2	6	1
UKC	2	1	1	0	3	1	4	2
MSVU	1	1	0	0	2	1	3	3
ABU	2	1	0	1	3	7	3	4
NSAC	3	1	0	2	3	5	3	5
HC	2	0	1	1	2	3	1	6
STU	2	0	0	2	1	4	0	7