Playoff spot on the line for men's Capers
October 26, 2012
The playoffs have started a week early for the Cape Breton University Capers men’s soccer team.
They wrap up the regular season with a pair of must-win games at home. They challenge the St. Francis Xavier XMen today at 4:15 p.m. and the Acadia Axemen Sunday at 5:15 p.m. at the Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex.
The Capers men have a record of 4-3-4 for 16 points, one point back of three teams — Acadia, Dalhousie Tigers
and Moncton Aigles Bleus — who are tied for fourth place. The top six teams advance to the Atlantic University
Sport championship tournament hosted by the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers, Nov. 2-4.
CBU has turned their game around as of late, and are unbeaten in their last five games. The local side got a
boost with the return of fifth-year keeper Andrew Murphy between the pipes.
Murphy injured his arm during the opening weekend of the season and returned to the pitch in Cape Breton’s 2-2
tie with Moncton at home on Oct. 13. The native of Liverpool, England, boasts of a record of 4-0-2 with two
shutouts on the season.
“We’re feeling positive,” said the 6-4, 221-pound netminder. “The last time we played X, we had a couple of
injuries and still got a result. Over the last two weeks, the boys are unbeaten and everyone is positive and feeling
strong.”
Watching from the sidelines with an injury was tough for Murphy, but he said it allowed keeper Ethan MacInnis to
get valuable experience between the pipes.
“When I came back, we managed to play well again,” he said. “We’re off to a good start again, so it’s like a fresh
start for playoffs.
“It was good getting back into things, especially when we played Saint Mary’s (Oct. 14) and beat them 2-1. That
was kind of the team we couldn’t quite crack, but we managed to crack them. We feel like now we can beat
anybody in the league.”
They wrap up the regular season with a pair of must-win games at home. They challenge the St. Francis Xavier XMen today at 4:15 p.m. and the Acadia Axemen Sunday at 5:15 p.m. at the Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex.
The Capers men have a record of 4-3-4 for 16 points, one point back of three teams — Acadia, Dalhousie Tigers
and Moncton Aigles Bleus — who are tied for fourth place. The top six teams advance to the Atlantic University
Sport championship tournament hosted by the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers, Nov. 2-4.
CBU has turned their game around as of late, and are unbeaten in their last five games. The local side got a
boost with the return of fifth-year keeper Andrew Murphy between the pipes.
Murphy injured his arm during the opening weekend of the season and returned to the pitch in Cape Breton’s 2-2
tie with Moncton at home on Oct. 13. The native of Liverpool, England, boasts of a record of 4-0-2 with two
shutouts on the season.
“We’re feeling positive,” said the 6-4, 221-pound netminder. “The last time we played X, we had a couple of
injuries and still got a result. Over the last two weeks, the boys are unbeaten and everyone is positive and feeling
strong.”
Watching from the sidelines with an injury was tough for Murphy, but he said it allowed keeper Ethan MacInnis to
get valuable experience between the pipes.
“When I came back, we managed to play well again,” he said. “We’re off to a good start again, so it’s like a fresh
start for playoffs.
“It was good getting back into things, especially when we played Saint Mary’s (Oct. 14) and beat them 2-1. That
was kind of the team we couldn’t quite crack, but we managed to crack them. We feel like now we can beat
anybody in the league.”