Hurricanes to play final pre-season games this weekend

ACAA regular-season schedules begin Sept. 8

The Holland Hurricanes’ men’s and women’s soccer teams will finish their pre-season schedules this weekend. The men will visit the UPEI Panthers on Saturday at 7 p.m., with the women hosting the University of Maine-Fort Kent Bengals at the Terry Fox Sports Complex in Cornwall on Monday at 11 a.m. The Hurricanes are preparing for the beginning of their Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) regular seasons, which begin at home on Saturday, Sept. 8, against the Dal AC Rams. The women’s game is at 2 p.m., followed by the men at 4 p.m. “The first few days of camp have gone very well,” shared women’s head coach Kris McKinnon. “With a large number of new players, we have had great competition for roster spots thus far. “We are happy with the quality of play; we have some difficult decisions to make between now and the start of the regular season.” The women’s Hurricanes are motivated to have a bounce-back season in 2018 after missing the playoffs last year for only the second time in team history. They completed the regular season with a record of 4-5-3 (won-lost-tied). The men’s Hurricanes are coming off a 1-0 exhibition loss to the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleu on Wednesday in the Hub City. “Camp is going well,” said men’s head coach Jonathan Vos. “We have a lot of new faces in the lineup this season, and it’s going to be very competitive for roster spots. “We were pleased with our first exhibition game, and look forward to seeing more on Saturday night versus UPEI.” The men’s Hurricanes are the 2017 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) national bronze-medallists as well as the reigning four-time ACAA champions. The Hurricanes are hosts of the 2018 CCAA national men’s soccer championship at the Terry Fox Sports Complex in Cornwall from Nov. 6 through 10.