Antigonish, NS - The energy at StFX Stadium was electric as the U SPORTS No. 4 ranked X-Men took on the No. 3 ranked Capers in a Friday night match under the lights. Although the X-Men came away with a difficult 3-0 loss, the stands were packed with StFX soccer fans whose spirit and enthusiasm mimicked the environment seen at professional games.
From the first whistle, both teams battled with high intensity, fighting for opportunities to get on the scoreboard. The first ten minutes saw corner kicks for both sides, with striker Kairo Coore (Whitby, ON) for CBU and Cam Shaw (Ottawa, ON) for StFX searching eagerly for goals.
Fourteen minutes into the match, Kyle Cordeiro (Oakville, ON) demonstrated exemplary technical ability as he took on three Capers defenders before being taken down in the Cape Breton box. Unfortunately for the X-Men, no call was made by the referee, though this decision seemed to spark an even greater fire for StFX. Only moments later, Logan Reick (London, ON) played the ball to Shaw, whose careful footwork to maneuver around Capers defenders earned him a shot on goal. CBU goalkeeper Daniel Clarke (Milton Keyes, UK) was called to action and forced to make a stretching save to redirect the ball.
Over the course of the game, StFX goalkeeper Seamus MacDonald (Antigonish, NS) showed his experience as a veteran player by making several spectacular saves. Only 17 minutes in, MacDonald held his ground as Coore headed towards him, unchallenged. Incredibly, MacDonald made himself big against his opponent and blocked the breakaway shot, keeping the match scoreless.
The match quickly became a physical battle, with yellow cards being awarded to both teams for hard challenges. Dyan Vil (Ottawa, ON) maintained his composure in the StFX defence, using smooth footwork to move the ball up the pitch. For the Capers, their wingers continuously put pressure on StFX, using speed that challenged the X-Men at times. Luke Green (Halifax, NS) did well to prevent attacking opportunities and had several key moments where he moved past CBU attackers with ease to progress the play up the pitch.
Despite the X-Men's best efforts to keep the score at zero heading into halftime, a 2 v. 2 to goal resulted in a Capers goal only seconds before the ref blew his whistle. Charlie Waters (Blackpool, UK) sprinted down the right side towards the StFX goal, managing a shot off the crossbar. The rebound was followed up by Coore, who hammered the ball into the back of the net from close range.
Entering the second half, Nick Aquino (Halifax, NS) showed his speed and skill as he travelled the length of the field in search of an equalizing goal. His efforts resulted in a strong shot 61 minutes in, though it soared just high of the goal.
MacDonald stepped up once more for the X-Men as a ball was slotted through the StFX defenders for Coore. Unphased, MacDonald shut down the opportunity with a sliding save to snatch the ball from the striker's foot.
The X-Men continued to push for a goal, but luck was not on their side as back-to-back attempts sailed just over the crossbar. With the game getting increasingly physical, the Capers ensured their lead in the 77th minute. As a ball was played behind the StFX backline from Cian Lynch (Dublin, IE), Coore was unchallenged by the StFX defenders as he scored his second goal of the match. Ten minutes later, the Capers sealed the game with their third goal, scored by Loic Gunn (Angus, ON).
The Player of the Game for the X-Men was Nick Aquino while Kairo Coore earned Subway Player of the Game honours for the Capers for his two-goal performance.
Seamus MacDonald recorded seven saves for the X-Men, while Daniel Clarke had five for the Capers.
The X-Men had a total of 12 shots, while the Capers recorded 17.
Next on the AUS schedule sees the Cape Breton Capers hitting the road on Sunday for a game against UPEI.
The X-Men play Acadia on Sunday in a 3:15 pm match-up, also on the road.
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Courtesy Alyssa Spridgeon, STFX Sports Information