SOCCER HOSTS
Cape Breton players key part of CBU’s soccer culture.
When Becky Hanna steps on the field this weekend with her Cape Breton Capers women’s soccer team, it will mark the final time she plays in an Atlantic University Sport tournament.
The Howie Centre resident has played the past five years with the Capers and is in her final year with the university program.
“There are so many emotions,” said Hanna. “I love this game so much and I love my team so much, I wish I could replay my five years over and over again.”
Over the course of her career with CBU, Hanna has posted three goals and eight assists. In 2017, the defender posted career highs in goals (2) and assists (3).
This season, Hanna, an AUS first all-star, has a goal and an assist in 10 games for the Capers.
“I made a point to myself this season to go out and have fun every single game this year and I don’t plan on changing that now,” said Hanna. “I’m going to go out there and enjoy the moment.”
Both Capers men’s and women’s soccer teams will make history this weekend, becoming the first school to host both the men’s and women’s AUS soccer championship tournaments at the Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex in Sydney.
“It’s like a childhood dream coming true,” said Hanna of hosting the AUS championship. “I always wanted to play in front of the Caper fan base, and especially in my final year, I couldn’t ask for more.”
The women’s team enters the AUS tournament as the defending champion after winning the event last year in Antigonish.
This year, Cape Breton finished atop the AUS standings with a 10-1-1 record and led the league in goals for with 36 while only allowing six goals against. The team’s only loss came to the Saint Mary’s Huskies
Jesse MacIntyre of Lingan has played with the men’s program at Cape Breton University for the past four years, winning AUS championships in 2016 and 2017, as well as the national title last November.
MacIntyre believes there’s pressure on the team to win this season, especially on home field, but it’s not something the club thinks about.
“We have to stay composed and when we get out on the field we have to go out there and just do our job,” said MacIntyre. “We have to treat these games like any other game in the season and work together.”
The men’s team finished the regular season first overall in the conference, posting a 100-2 record, extending its undefeated streak to 29 straight games.
Although the Capers hosted the men’s championship tournament last season, MacIntyre said it never gets old to host the prestigious event.
“With both the men’s and women’s teams hosting the championship, we’re hoping to get a lot of support from the fans,” he said. “It would be awesome to be able to get back to the nationals this year and maybe win it again.”
Cape Breton’s Amy Lynch of Sydney, Dalhousie’s Olivia MacIntyre of Sydney, Acadia’s Rachelle Aucoin of Cheticamp, and Acadia’s Michael Carmichael of Baddeck are also players on teams participating in this year’s tournament.
The Cape Breton teams will open the AUS tournament with semifinal games on Friday. The women will play at 2 p.m., followed by the men at 4:30 p.m.