Cheering on their Capers
Cape Breton Capers to play rival New Brunswick Reds in AUS championship game
Close to 70 people braved an afternoon of rain to cheer on the Cape Breton Capers women’s soccer team in its Atlantic University Sport semifinal contest with the Memorial Sea-Hawks of St. John’s, N.L., at Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex on Friday. The Capers won the game 2-0, and many of the fans stuck around to watch the men’s semifinal contest with Dalhousie.
The Cape Breton Capers men’s soccer team is one win away from securing its spot in the U Sports national championship for a third consecutive season.
Cape Breton blanked the Dalhousie Tigers 3-0 in Atlantic University Sport semifinal action at the Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex on Thursday, advancing to the league championship game against their rival, the New Brunswick Reds.
AUS most valuable player Peter Schaale, Marcus Campanile and Matt Larter each scored goals for the Capers.
Ben Jackson stopped both shots he faced in the contest for Cape Breton. Ben Grondin turned aside eight of 11 shots in the loss.
“It was definitely a hard game for us,” said Schaale. “Dalhousie had a game yesterday (the quarter-final), but it didn’t feel like they played yesterday — they put in a good effort and they made it hard for us.”
Cape Breton controlled the play in the opening half, but couldn’t capitalize on opportunities in the box, sending the game to halftime scoreless.
The Capers would finally solve Grondin in the 61stminute with Schaale finishing off a Joel Eckert-Ayensa cross, giving Cape Breton the 1-0 lead.
Campanile extended the Capers lead at 78:04, making the score 2-0, before Larter added an insurance goal in the 86th-minute of the contest.
“We came in with a game plan to get the ball wide and spread them out,” said Capers head coach Deano Morley, who last Wednesday was named the AUS coach of the year for the second consecutive season.
“We kept possession of the ball well, so we didn’t really allow them to get forward — I’m proud of the football that we’re playing out there and the product on the field.”
In the second semifinal Thursday evening, No. 3 seed New Brunswick Reds edged No. 2 seed St. Francis Xavier X-Men 2-1 in double overtime.
Matt Boem and Alex Dodgshon scored for the Reds. Josh Read responded for the X-Men.
Evan Barker made seven
saves for the New Brunswick team, while Seamus Macdonald stopped eight of 10 shots for the Antigonish-based university.
The championship game will mark the fourth time in five years Cape Breton has played New Brunswick in the AUS men’s final.
In fact, New Brunswick’s last two AUS title victories came against Cape Breton. The Reds edged the Capers 2-1 in both 2014 and 2015.
Last November, Cape Breton returned the favour, beating New Brunswick 1-0 in Sydney.
“They have a very good coach,” said Morley of the Reds. “I think UNB will be very tough to beat.”
The championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex in Sydney.
An estimated crowd of 70 rain-soaked soccer fans took in Friday’s semifinal.
The winner of the AUS soccer championship will advance to the U Sports national championship, Nov. 8-11 in Vancouver, B.C.