Mark the calendars
AUS fall schedules released
The Acadia Axemen begin their quest to return to the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) football playoffs on the road.
The Axemen open the regular season in Sackville, N.B., against the Mount Allison Mounties on Saturday, Aug. 26. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
The Axemen play their first home game Saturday, Sept. 2, when the St. F.X. X-Men, the two-time defending conference champs, come to town for a 2 p.m. contest.
The Axemen went 0-8 in 2022 to miss the post-season in the five-team conference.
Acadia last won the AUS title in 2019.
The regular season champs earn a bye into the conference final while the second- and third-place teams will meet Nov. 4 in the semifinal. The Loney Bowl will be hosted by regular season champs Saturday, Nov. 11.
The AUS recently released its fall schedules. Here’s a look at the other Acadia team’s schedules.
RUGBY
Opening day for AUS rugby will see a rematch of last year’s championship game.
The UPEI Panthers, coming off their first AUS title, will host the Acadia Axewomen at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9. UPEI defeated Acadia 33-12 in Wolfville in last year’s title game.
The Axewomen will host their home opener Saturday,
Sept. 16, at 2 p.m. when the arch-rival St. F.X. X-Women come to town.
The top three teams in the four-team conference will qualify for playoffs. The top seed earns a bye into the championship game they will host. No date has been announced.
The U Sports nationals will be hosted in Quebec City, Que., Nov. 1-5.
SOCCER
The Acadia soccer teams will begin their seasons on home turf.
They will host the Saint Mary’s Huskies on Friday, Sept. 1, at 5 p.m. for the women’s game and 7:15 p.m. for the men’s contest.
The Axewomen, which won the 2021 AUS championship, finished third in the regular season in 2022 with a 9-2-1 record. They hosted the Atlantic championship but lost in penalty kicks to Memorial in the quarter-finals.
The Axemen missed the post-season in 2022 after finishing eighth in the 10team conference with a 1-8-3 record.
The Cape Breton Capers, which swept the AUS championships in 2022, will host this year’s conference finals Oct. 26-29 in Sydney. The women’s nationals will be held in Kingston, Ont., while the Capers will host the men’s championship. Both will take place Nov. 9-12.
CROSS COUNTRY
The cross country season begins in Wolfville on Saturday, Sept. 9.
The AUS championship will take place Oct. 28 in Halifax while the nationals are Nov. 11 in London, Ont.