2011 AUS Men's Soccer Awards and All-Stars Announced
Cape Breton's Andrew Rigby named player of the year for second time
November 3, 2011 (HALIFAX, N.S.) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2011 men's soccer all-stars and major award winners as selected by the conference's ten head coaches following regular season play. Third-year Cape Breton Capers midfielder Andrew Rigby was named the Atlantic University Sport most valuable player, Thursday night.
Other AUS major award winners announced during the awards banquet hosted by Cape Breton University in Sydney, N.S., were Dalhousie's Bezick Evraire of Ottawa, Ont., who was named rookie of the year; Mount Allison's Stuart McAdam of Halifax, N.S., who received the Student-Athlete Community Service Award; and UPEI coaches Lewis Page and Bruce Norton, who shared the coach of the year award.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Andrew Rigby, Cape Breton
Andrew Rigby, a third-year midfielder and co-captain with the CIS No. 2-ranked Cape Breton Capers, has been named the Atlantic University Sport men's soccer player of the year for the second time in three seasons.
Rigby, the 2009 player of the year, was also honoured with his third consecutive selection as a first team AUS all-star.
Andrew, who played previously with the Ottawa Fury of the USL Premier Development League, anchored a Cape Breton squad that scored a league-high 43 goals while allowing just 15. CBU's 43 goals scored this season rank fourth all-time in AUS history.
"Andrew is quite simply the finest soccer player I have had the pleasure of coaching in my career and makes all our players on the field better with his presence," says Cape Breton head coach Robbie Chaisson. "He is playing at a level superior to 2009 when he was also named MVP and has the ability to put his foot on the ball and completely take over a game."
Andrew will represent the Atlantic conference as the league's nominee for the Joe Johnson Memorial Trophy as the CIS player of the year. UPEI's Ryan Anstey (2005) and SMU's Mesut Mert (2003 and 2001) are the most recent Atlantic University Sport players to win the national award.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Bezick Evraire, Dalhousie
Dalhousie's Bezick Evraire, a 5-foot-11 midfielder from Ottawa, Ont., has been chosen by the coaches as the 2011 Atlantic University Sport rookie of the year.
Evraire appeared in all 13 of Dalhousie's regular season games this year, starting in 12, and finished second in team scoring with two goals. He was also credited with eight shots on goal this season and of his two goals, one was a game-winner.
"Bezick is a very talented young player who has had an immediate impact on our team and the league," says Dalhousie head coach Pat Nearing. "He has the ability to score or create goals with an excellent first touch and his passing vision. Bezick is playing with the maturity and composure of a veteran although he just turned 18 in October."
Evraire, also named a second team AUS all-star, becomes the sixth Dalhousie player to be named AUS rookie of the year.
UNB's John Fish in 2004 and Dalhousie's Simon Richardson in 2001 are the only Atlantic University Sport players to be named CIS rookie of the year.
STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Stuart McAdam, Mount Allison
Stuart McAdam, a midfielder from Halifax, N.S., is the 2011 AUS Student-Athlete Community Service award recipient.A senior who is enrolled in honours chemistry with a GPA over 4.2, McAdam finds time in his busy schedule to play soccer for the Mounties, do research, tutor, volunteer, coach, teach, and give back to his community.
Stuart has been a starter since arriving at Mount Allison and has been a cerebral player with excellent skills and anticipation. Equally talented both offensively and defensively, he makes the most of any situation on the field.
This character trait carries over to the classroom and his Sackville community where he is heavily involved and makes it a priority to give back to others.
With his sights set on medicine in the future, McAdam has been volunteering as an executive member of Mount Allison's chapter of Global Brigades, where he provides medical support, and critical health care services to needy regions of the Honduras every February during university reading week. In recent years McAdam has also volunteered at the QEII Hospital, in Halifax, running numerous activities with patients, the Red Cross, the Health Equipment Loan Program, and the Victorian Order of Nurses.
This past summer while doing research for his thesis in Sackville, N.B., he assisted with the Drew Nursing Home residents and enjoyed it so much that he continued to provide his friendly service throughout the school year.
Also during the summer months, he found time to assist in co-coaching Sackville's Under 16-18 boys soccer team.
McAdam finds time to help others during the academic year as a volunteer tutor, a calculus teaching assistant, and a volunteer chemistry researcher. He also is involved with Shinerama, Relay for Life, and as a volunteer in a 'buddy e-mail' program.
"Stuart embodies the meaning of the word 'student-athlete', excelling both on the field and in his academics," says Mounties' head coach Roy Chineh. "He is just an exceptional individual and serves as an inspiration to both our team and the University community."
McAdam becomes the second Mount Allison recipient of the men's soccer student-athlete community service Award, joining Curtis Michaelis who won the award in 2008.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Lewis Page and Bruce Norton, UPEI
UPEI coaches Lewis Page and Bruce Norton will share the 2011 AUS coach of the year award.
After missing the post-season in 2010, the Panthers rebounded impressively to finish second overall in the conference in 2011 with a record of 7-2-4. UPEI allowed a league-low 12 goals in 2011 and posted an AUS-leading seven shutouts.
The team was coached jointly this season by Lewis Page and Bruce Norton.
Page who has been serving as an assistant coach this fall with the Canadian women's national team, was on the UPEI sideline for six of 13 league games. Now a four-time AUS recipient of this award and the 2002 CIS coach of the year, Lewis guided the team when not travelling with the national team.
Norton, a former UPEI head coach who was named the AUS coach of the year in 1996, has been a long-time assistant to Page and served as the bench boss for the seven regular season games Page was unable to attend, losing only once.
"UPEI is very proud to have both Lewis and Bruce recognized," said UPEI Director of Athletics Ron Annear. "With Lewis being away for various periods of time due to his National women's team responsibilities, it has been the coaching efforts of both men, individually and together, that has been symbolic of their relationship and their love of a program they have built together."
StFX's Graham Kennedy (2010) and Dalhousie's Pat Nearing (2008) are the most recent AUS recipients of the CIS coach of the year award.
FIRST AND SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS
The AUS first and second team all-stars were also announced Thursday. They are as follows:
First Team All-Stars:
Striker - Michael Marousek, StFX (5th Year- Prague, Czech Republic)
Striker - Ian Greedy, Cape Breton (2nd Year- Lower Sackville, N.S.)
Striker - Keishen Bean, Cape Breton (4th Year- Sandys, Bermuda)
Striker - Jimmie Mayaleh, UPEI (4th Year- Charlottetown, P.E.I.)
Midfielder - Rory Kennedy, Saint Mary's (5th Year- Halifax, N.S.)
Midfielder - Andrew Rigby, Cape Breton (3rd Year- Wollaton, England)
Midfielder - Jamar Dixon, StFX (4th Year- Ottawa, Ont.)
Defender - Max Maund, StFX (3rd Year- Courtenay, B.C.)
Defender - Adam Downie, Saint Mary's (4th Year- Brookside, N.S.)
Defender - Benjamin Law, UNB (3rd Year- Ottawa, Ont.)
Keeper - Ben Ur, Dalhousie (5th year - Halifax, N.S.)
Second Team All-Stars:
Striker - Jonathan Hammond, Acadia (4th Year- Halifax, N.S.)
Striker - Maxime Ferlatte, Moncton (5th Year- Dieppe, N.B.)
Striker - Steven DeLong, Memorial (3rd Year- Yorkton, Sask.)
Midfielder - Jared Murphy, UPEI (3rd Year- Charlottetown, P.E.I.)
Midfielder - Charles Tousignant, Moncton (4th Year- Gatineau, Que.)
Midfielder - Silvano Rajkovic, Cape Breton (5th Year- Hamilton, Ont.)
Midfielder - Bezick Evraire, Dalhousie (1st year - Ottawa, Ont.)
Defender - Chris Pope, Memorial (4th year - St. John's, Nfld.)
Defender - Damion Vassell, Cape Breton (3rd Year- Hamilton, Ont.)
Defender - Wes Hawley, Dalhousie (5th Year- Halifax, N.S.)
Keeper - Adam Miller, Saint Mary's (2nd Year- Swindon, England)
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The 2011 Subway Atlantic University Sport Men's Soccer Championship will be hosted by Cape Breton University, November 4-6, 2011.
All five games of the championship will be available via webcast at www.caperstv.ca
The championship schedule is as follows:
Friday, November 4th
Quarter-final #1: StFX (3rd) vs. Saint Mary's (6th), 12:00pm
Quarter-final #2: Dalhousie (4th) vs. Moncton (5th), 3:00pm
Saturday, November 5th
Semifinal #1: Cape Breton (1st) vs. Lowest Remaining Seed, 12:00pm
Semifinal #2: UPEI (2nd) vs. Highest Remaining Seed, 3:00pm
Sunday, November 6th
Championship Game: Semifinal Winners, 1:00pm
Notes:
- Final AUS men's soccer standings: http://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/mens/soccer/
- Final AUS men's soccer statistics: http://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/mens/soccer/stats/2011/CONFSTAT.HTM
The Atlantic University Sport champion will advance to the 2011 CIS Men's Soccer Championship, November 10-13, 2011, hosted by the University of Victoria.
The Cape Breton Capers have already qualified by virtue of their first place finish in the regular season standings. If Cape Breton wins the Atlantic University Sport championship, the runner-up will also qualify for the CIS championship.
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