White and Blue building towards playoff success
By Corey LeBlanc
Antigonish, NS - Having a strong spine is invaluable – and not just physiologically; it also carries importance in a variety of sports.
Just ask the STFX X-Men how crucial possessing one is on the soccer pitch.
Heading into the 2022 Atlantic University Sport (AUS) regular season, the White and Blue will be without conference all-star goalkeeper Seamus MacDonald, along with All-Canadians defender Josh Read and midfielder Nick Aquino, who have graduated after fashioning exemplary careers with the varsity program, including a first-place finish in the 2021 regular campaign.
"It is the core of your team," X-Men head coach Graham Kennedy says of having strength up the middle.
Although they were upset in the 2021 AUS semi-finals by the lower-ranked Saint Mary's Huskies, Kennedy offers that he may have been "disappointed," but "wasn't surprised."
"We were ripe for the picking," he says of a line-up decimated by injuries. Kennedy adds players – at key positions – took the field that "weren't fit."
Despite that stinging defeat in last season's playoffs – along with the loss of talent and experience, particularly that aforementioned threesome – the 2022 X-Men are ready to make some noise.
"We are going to have a very young team with plenty of talent," Kennedy offers of the roster, one also sprinkled with a few key veterans.
Nevertheless, a lot of questions remain for the White and Blue as they embark on an another AUS campaign, including who will be the starting goalkeeper. "We still don't know," Kennedy says of just one example of the uncertainty in some areas.
With that in mind, he offers that it is difficult to make any predictions of where the X-Men could end up in the conference standings.
"We have a strong back four; we don't know yet if it is a championship one," Kennedy says.
That quartet includes senior defender Lewis Dye and Luke Green – both of Fall River, Nova Scotia – along with Fergus Hall (Campbell River, BC) and another veteran – Jack Kennedy (Antigonish, NS).
As for the midfield, which boasts a "good sprinkling of skill," Kennedy describes it as "young and developing."
"There is also an element of physical play and toughness, which we are really excited about," he says.
Midfielder Kyle Cordeiro (Oakville, ON) – who garnered an AUS first-team all-star selection in his freshman season – has "looked really good" in the early going, according to his X-Men head coach.
There are also sophomores Logan Rieck (Cambridge, ON) and Max Bodurtha (Halifax, NS), who Kennedy calls an "absolute vacuum cleaner."
One of the other looming questions for Kennedy is goal scoring, particularly in "big games," which he notes are often razor-thin affairs, such as 1-0 or 2-1.
"He has really stepped up and filled the leadership void," Kennedy says of Dye – an all-star center back – who spent some time on the pitch this season with the U23 Halifax Wanderers.
He notes that the X-Men who played for the U23 Wanderers – Dye, Bodurtha, Green and Kennedy – along with those who played with sides in League 1 Ontario and BC, will benefit from that high-calibre experience; an opportunity that they will tap into to help benefit the X-Men.
"It will help take us a long way," Kennedy says of a line-up of student-athletes that arrived to X-Men camp in tremendous shape.
Noting that they carried out testing on their third day together, he adds that it is the "most fit team we have ever had."
When it comes to new faces, freshman Anders Good (Moncton, NB) is coming off a Canada Summer Games performance for his home province. "He has shown very well so far," Kennedy says of his early time in White and Blue.
He adds that defender Ethan Larsen (Fall River, NS) – another Canada Games' athlete – has "stood out."
And, as for freshman striker Samuel Barrowcliffe (Princeton, ON) – who comes in at 6'1" – there have been "signs of good things to come."
Kennedy expects some newcomers to contribute "right away."
Noting the cohesion of the group, he praises the X-Men for their "team first" mentality.
"I also love their energy and spirit," Kennedy says. He adds that these X-Men may have the greatest "comradery" of any team he has coached at his alma mater.
Getting back to expectations, Kennedy reiterates the difficulty of gauging a unit that has experienced such tremendous turnover.
"That would be a very lofty goal," he offers of the chance to continue the program's five-year streak of finishing top-two in the regular season, which earns a bye in the opening round of the playoffs.
Nevertheless, if the X-Men don't make the post season, Kennedy says it would be a "complete failure."
He also notes their challenging schedule, which includes a road trip to St. John's to face the Memorial Sea-Hawks; not to mention two matches versus the five-time AUS champs – and perennial rivals – the Cape Breton University Capers.
"It is not going to be easy," Kennedy says.
Considering the X-Men head into this season "having lost so many key pieces," he adds that the program would be "really pleased" with a third or fourth-place finish in the regular season.
"We will see what happens," Kennedy says.
The X-Men wrapped up a 2-0-1 record in the pre-season, earning victories over the Dalhousie Tigers (2-1) and UPEI Panthers (1-0) and tying Saint Mary's (1-1).
STFX will open the AUS season on home turf on Friday, Sept. 9 – at 7:15 p.m. – versus the Acadia Axemen in Antigonish. Two days later – on Sunday, Sept. 11 – the Panthers will visit STFX Stadium. Game time is 3:15 p.m.
The X-Men will be shooting for a sixth AUS crown – the first conference banner for the program since winning back-to-back crowns in 1993 and 1994.
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