Courtesy Dalhousie Sports Information

(Halifax, NS) - The 2009 Subway AUS Men’s Soccer Championship title is up for grabs by one of the top six AUS teams this weekend.

Four AUS men’s soccer teams are fighting for wins on Friday to advance to the semifinals on Saturday.  The top seeded team in the quarter-finals is UNB who finished third in AUS regular season standings. They face off against number six seed Moncton in the first of two quarter-finals on Friday at 12pm.

“Moncton is a team you don’t want to meet in the playoffs,” says UNB head coach Miles Pinsent. “They are a very talented team and play solid defence. We’ve met twice this year and came out on top, but both were very tough games.”

UNB also has a very capable team led by four-time AUS all-star and 2007’s MVP Ken Morrison and this year’s Keeper of the Year Matt Lally.

Armand Doucet will be taking the reigns for the Moncton team as head coach as Sylvain Rastello is in Newfoundland with the women’s squad.

“We’ve had a rollercoaster season,” says Doucet. “Playoffs are often an opportunity for a fresh start. UNB is a very solid team and we will need to pick up our intensity in order to have success.”

The second quarter-final game features fourth seed UPEI and fifth seed StFX. The teams met just once in regular season play with UPEI coming out on top.

“Our regular season game was very tight,” says UPEI’s head coach Lewis Page. The 2009 AUS Coach of the Year adds, “We are both well-organized, defensive teams. In order for us to be successful, we’ll need to take advantage of any scoring opportunities we get.”

StFX’s first year coach Graham Kennedy couldn’t agree more. “We have to deal with their strong press high up the field,” added Kennedy. “There will be very few scoring opportunities in this game. The team that capitalizes on them will come out on top.”

On Saturday, the winners of the quarter-final games will face the top two AUS teams, CBU and Dalhousie. The 12pm game will feature the lowest remaining seed playing CBU.

“We’ve been playing really well lately,” said Robbie Chiasson, Cape Breton’s head coach. “We will push to continue to play well. The weather is probably going to have a big impact on all of us this weekend.
Fielding healthy teams in this current flu season will also likely be a challenge for everyone.”

The second semifinal game will feature the highest remaining seed against host DAL who are the defending AUS champions.

“Winning last year by taking three games was an historic event,” says last year’s AUS and CIS Coach of the Year, Pat Nearing. “For the Tigers to be successful at this year’s championship, we have to stick to the basics, play team defence and out-work our opponents. We have a very skilled team, but we have to make sure we keep our tempo up and work hard to close down our opponents.”

The winners of Saturday’s games will play for the 2009 AUS title on Sunday at 1pm.

Tournament Schedule

Friday, November 6
12pm - Quarter-final - UNB (3^rd ) vs. UdeM (6^th )
3pm - Quarter-final - UPEI (4^th ) vs. StFX (5^th )

Saturday, November 7
12pm - Semifinal - CBU (1^st ) vs. Lowest remaining seed
3pm - Semifinal - DAL (2^nd ) vs. Highest remaining seed

Sunday, November 8
1pm - Final - Semifinal winners

Event and day pass tickets are available for purchase through the Dalplex Customer Service Centre (494-3372) and also at the gate. Dalhousie students and Black and Gold Event Pass holders are free.

Event Packages
Adults - $18; Dalplex Members & Dal alumni and staff - $16; Non-Dalhousie Students - $12

Day Passes
Adults - $7; Dalplex Members & Dal alumni and staff - $6; Non-Dalhousie Students - $5

Group rates are available for minor sports teams. Call 494-2137 for details.