Heading down the home stretch

 SYDNEY – The Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers will host the Memorial SeaHawks in their final home matches of the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) regular season Friday evening on the turf at Ness Timmons Field.

The women's contest is set for 5 p.m. ADT, while the men are scheduled to take the pitch at 7:15 p.m. ADT.

The Capers – defending conference title holders – are in the hunt for first place in their respective leagues, which have been highly competitive since opening kick-off in September.

Rowe on a roll

On the women's side, the defending AUS champions are in second place, at 7-1-0, with the only blemish on their record a 3-1 home loss to the rival STFX X-Women, who occupy first place in the conference at a pristine 9-0-0.

Since that early season defeat, the Capers have rattled off five consecutive victories, while outscoring their opponents 20-4, including a run of three consecutive shutouts.

"We are very pleased to be where we are," veteran head coach Stephen 'Ness' Timmons said.

He added, "We have been giving the players a lot of time, trying to figure out the best combination to bring us the most success."

Ranked eighth in the USPORTS top-10, CBU boasts a potent scoring attack led by 2022 AUS most valuable player Alliyah Rowe (Kitchener, ON), who has 16 points, including 13 goals, so far this season. She trials only veteran X-Women striker Amanda Smith, who has a conference-best 14 goals and 17 points. Rowe does lead the AUS with 49 shots.

"She has been leading the way up front, as she has a little more room to play with such strong support around her."

Freshman striker Leah Disipio (Ottawa, ON) and sophomore midfielder Grace Hannaford – last season's conference rookie of the year – have chipped in six and five goals, respectively, to the Caper offense. That tandem, along with first-year forward Lauren Rowe (Conception Bay South, NL), has helped the veteran goal scorer work her magic.

Defensively, the Capers have been anchored by freshman keeper Ellie Lancaster (Fall River, NS), who has fashioned the top save percentage in the AUS (.839), along with the third best goals against average (0.91). Her 5-1 record includes three shutouts.

"Ellie has taken on a leadership role, and she come up with some high-end saves at crucial times," Timmons offered.

When it comes to where they have to improve with the playoffs fast approaching, he said, "Our overall defensive game has to be tighter."

Timmons added, "We are working hard to balance that out."

If the Capers defend their conference crown later this month, it would be the program's AUS record 13^th. The first dozen banners have been won since 2003.

Spark from Clarke

As for the CBU men, they remain unbeaten, at 7-0-1; their only match not in the win column is a 1-1 tie on the road versus Saint Mary's, one in which the Huskies notched the tying marker in stoppage time.

"With a lot of potential distractions, I am very proud of our mentality. Hosting the AUS championships and USPORTS means that's what people are talking about, but not us. For a young team, the program has stayed committed to our processes and our hard-working philosophy," Caper head coach Deano Morley said.

"We have rotated the squad, allowing us to see many players in many different roles and systems in our attempt to build depth and confidence to support our long-term goals whilst preparing diligently for each AUS challenge."

Ranked third in the USPORTS top-10, the first place Capers have been led offensively by Owen Sheppard (St. John's NL), who is tied with Kyle Cordeiro of the rival STFX X-Men for top spot in the AUS scoring race with seven goals apiece. The junior forward has also collected a league best 31 shots.

Noting how Sheppard has been "delivering in the final third," Morley said, "Owen, he has been ripping defenses to pieces all season."

Veteran midfielder Zé Cunha (Cascais, Portugal), who is having an exemplary season on both ends of the field, has chipped in three goals to a deep and balanced CBU attack.

"I think everyone who has seen him play knows he is an exceptional talent, with an incredible football IQ. He is the best player in the league and he continuous to improve," Morley offered.

He also noted the high-end performance of sophomore midfielder Max Piepgrass (Calgary, AB).

"Max controls games in the midfield, and his range of passing is pure quality," Morley said.

Daniel Clarke (Milton Keynes, England), a conference first-team all-star last season, leads AUS keepers with a 0.83 goals against average and .839 save percentage. He has one shutout as part of a 5-0-1 record.

"He continues to prove me right – week in and week out – he is the best goalkeeper in USPORTS. Period," Morley said.

The Capers have surrendered a conference-low seven goals.

Keeping those individual performances in mind, Morley said, "Our focus is on the whole squad, the balance of the system and our ability to dominate games … creating goal scoring chances; that is the overall key to success thus far for us."

As the regular season winds down, the Caper mentor said, "We need to continue our process – it is about being healthy and focused at the right time of the year."

Morley explained that the Capers "continue to work to perfect our system."

He added, "I think the intent in which we are playing football is up there with the best I have seen in our program. If we can further improve our pace of play, our movement off the ball and our transitional reactions, then this team will be in a good place heading into playoffs and nationals."

Later this month, CBU will be shooting for the program's seventh consecutive AUS title, which would establish a conference record.

Back in action

CBU will wrap up the weekend with a visit to Sackville, NB, to face the Mount Allison Mounties on Sunday, Oct. 15, for matches at 1 p.m. ADT (women) and 3:15 p.m. ADT (men). These contests were scheduled for earlier in the regular season, but they were postponed due to weather.

The Capers will return to New Brunswick for the final weekend of the conference campaign, making stops in Fredericton on Friday, Oct. 20, to face the UNB Reds, and Saturday, Oct. 21, versus the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus(es).

CBU will host the 2023 AUS women's and men's soccer championship tournaments – presented by Bell – from Thursday, Oct. 26 to Sunday, Oct. 29 at Ness Timmons Field.

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