Ness Timmons named CIS Coach of the Year

November 8, 2012

For the second time, Cape Breton University Capers women's soccer coach Ness Timmons has been named the country's top university women's soccer coach.

Timmons is a five-time AUS coach of the year and was previously honoured by his Canadian Interuniversity Sport peers in 2000.

This season, the Capers took first place in the AUS standings for the first time since 2008 thanks to a stellar 10-0-3 mark and were one of only two teams across the country to finish conference play with an undefeated record, along with the top-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees (14-0-2).

Cape Breton was the best defensive team in the AUS during the regular season with only eight goals allowed in 13 contests and the second-highest scoring squad with 24 goals.

Timmons has been the only coach of the Cape Breton program since 1996, when the Capers first joined the Atlantic conference and in 17 years he has compiled a career regular season record of 125-56-40.

He has qualified his team for the past 13 AUS championships, winning the banner six times over the past decade, and in 2007 guided the Capers to their lone CIS title on home turf in Sydney.

“We are fortunate to have a national-calibre coach like Ness who has helped build such a highly successful women’s soccer program at CBU,” said John Ryan, Cape Breton’s director of athletics in a release. “His numerous coach of the year awards are a testament to both his ability as a coach and the quality of student-athletes he recruits into his program.”

Also honoured during a banquet in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday evening was fourth-year Capers defender Robbyn McNeill of Kentville, N.S., who was named to the first all-Canadian team, while first-year striker Chelsea Currie of Coxheath was named a second team all-star.

Also honoured at a separate banquet in Quebec City as part of the men’s CIS soccer awards was midfielder Jason Massie, a fifth-year player from Rainhill, England, who was named a first team all-Canadian.

When the Cape Breton University squads take to the pitch in Victoria, B.C. and Quebec City, Que., for the CIS championship quarter-finals, they will be the only school of 49 across Canada to have the honour of both men’s and women’s soccer teams playing at the national championship events.