University of Kings' College Blue Devils (W) 1 - 0 St. Thomas University Tommies

This is the first game I've covered in the rain, so this could be tricky, especially in Dal Physics' official wind tunnel otherwise known as Wickwire Field.

The ACAA rosters came out this morning, so most of the names should be right. Aside from elite midfielder Allie Akers, Kings' is mostly intact from last year. STU have a massive women's team this year. The men are sitting in front of me complaining about the large women's roster. Apparently it's caused them to have to downgrade thier bus for the trip. It does look a little more like a Metro Transit bus than most teams would like. One guy termed it a "prison bus," which is a pretty accurate description.

Kings' still only has one goalkeeper. Krista Bishop is very skilled (with the notable exception of during last year's playoffs, which I think she'd like to forget), but if she gets hurt we could be watching Sarah Kraus play goal.

Kings' also have a new coach, in Stacey Stocco, who hailed from Adelaide, Australia. She replaces Gillian Costelo for Kings'.

And last year's striker of choice, Neesha Madhvani has also departed. Irene Flatley scored against NSAC mid-week. Yang can score, as can Cutler, but both of them are hurt today. Look for Allison Smith to start with Flatley. For the record, defender Jamie Trueland is also hurt.

Teams are coming out, looking quite proper. No clock, so all times are estimates.

UKC (3-5-2): Bishop, Spessot, Kraus, Skinner, Miesner, Cousens, McKenzie, Anderson, Crothers, Flatley, Smith.

STU (4-4-2): Wardell, McCulloch, Gallie, Bruce, Alisah Benedict, Del Frate, McKinnon, Waddell, Cross, Firlotte, Silver.

1min: Kick-off. Kings' have initial possession. They loop one to Wardell, but it's an easy save.

5min: Lots of midfield battling and little forward movement so far.

6min: Free kick to UKC out wide right. Miesner puts it in short. Flatley nearly getys space, but her attemp to win a corner results in a goal kick.

7min: Flatley breaks in and slides to shoot. It beats the keeper but rolls wide.

9min: STU have brought maybe 35 fans and a banner! Yes, a banner. This sets new levels for a Kings' home game. It's actually a terrible banner, but that's not the point. It reads "Go Team Go." There might be 4 Kings' fans here. They're either press (me) or they work for the program.

11min: Corner to Kings' after a good foray by Cousens. They work some box play and there's a whiff of handball, but the STU defense holds.

14min: Kings' are missing Yang's creativity in midfield. The link-up is still quite smooth, but not as deadly.

15min: Kings' are also playing into a considerable wind. They've been putting long balls in to get their strikers running onto as the wind holds them up. Wardell is also struggling with the wind and she miscommits before scampering back to recover.

18min: Kings' win a corner. It's initially cleared, then sent back in, but Flatley was ruled offside. That might be a bit of a harsh call--she looked on to me, although I don't have the best angle.

19min: Flatley dashes in again. Wardell wins the race to the ball but Flatley makes sure to kick her in the gut on her way by.

21min: Smith cuts inside after Flatley is cut down. Flatley gets up and looks for a return pass, but Smith elects to shoot, and misses.

22min: STU concede a free kick very near the box as Flatley is dropped again. Her pace is causing real problems for STU. And Kings' hit the bar as Cousens loops the wide free kick in with Wardell looking rather helpless.

26min: STU are getting nothing past the monster otherwise known as Sarah Kraus. She pops up wherever STU have space and devours it.

29min: Flatley in again and she shoots low into Wardell's arms. There's a good chance that if she doesn't score, she'll win a penalty with her pace.

30min: STU get a chance in the box. Bishop claims the ball and Samantha Silver clatters her in competition for it. The ref shows her a yellow, but that play was fair game for Silver. Tough decision, there.

34min: Flatley in again, trying this time to poke it past Wardell. She doesn't get anywhere near enough on it and Wardell holds on.

36min: Flatley bangs her way past Gallie and goes down in the area, but the ref waves her up.

38min: Smith gets between the two centrebacks and goes for goal. Wardell stops the shot with her face and STU find a way to clear it.

45min: Smith finagles down the left, gets on her right foot, and fires over from twelve yards.

Half-time comes scoreless, but Kings' should really be winning this game. Chance after chance hasn't quite gone in. It'll interesting to see if (fairly) new coach (she's three games in) Stacey Stocco can motivate them to perform better.

45min: Kings' kick-off. Anderson on for Crothers.

48min: Kings' win a corner off of a STU defensive mistake. It's underhit and wasted.

51min: Flatley gets in behind Wardell, but the ref calls her for a foul on the Tommies' 'keeper. Probably the right call.

59min: King's are bossing this, but still not finishing well.

66min: A boring game livens up a bit as Kings' win a free kick wide right. It's straight to Wardell, who catches easily.

69min: Kings' are looking a bit tired. They played mid-week against NSAC and the pace is beginning to edge away. Yang would help here.

71min: GOAL! Flatley finally finishes! She dances (pardon the bad Riverdance pun) around Bruce, takes a moment to size it up, edges around Wardell and slots home very nicely.

73min: Kings' will almost definitely sit back now, they have the resources in Cousens and Kraus to lock this game down.

75min: Kings' nearly get caught on the counter, though. There are only three at the back which seems a tad risky, given the score.

77min: Kings' win a debatable free kick, which Cousens loops over Wardell and off the bar again. She's unlucky today. Two stunning free kicks and two crossbars.

79min: Flatley evades Bruce again andtries to pick out Smith, but she overhits the pass and Wardell claims.

85min: Kings' should go 2-0 up, but Flatley misses two great opportunities. She managed to find a rebound inches from goal and succeeded only in wafting it over the bar.

88min: No subs in this game, which is odd, though understandable. Kings' onlyhave 12 healthy players. Keeping 11 on the pitch has been hard enough.

90min: Haley Anderson goes down inured. Kings' lack a sub option at this point, so Sarah Dowler--who's also hurt--comes on.

Full-time: Kings' locked it down alright, and they take 3 points as a result. They play again tomorrow.

ACAA run-down

--Dylan Matthias

Source Material: www.acaa.ca

Men:

HC 1 - 1 MSVU
UNBSJ 1 - 1 NSAC
STU 1 - 1 NSAC
HC 2 - 3 UKC
NSAC 2 - 5 UKC (Kings' scored 5 unanswered goals in the second half after going down 2-0)

Women:

STU 1 - 2 ABU
UNBSJ 3 - 1 NSAC
HC 1 - 2 MSVU (Sarah Parker with both Mount goals)
STU 0 - 2 NSAC
ABU 1 - 6 UNBSJ (three goals by Jennifer Bergeron for SJ)
HC 1 - 1 UKC
NSAC 0 - 2 UKC (Flatley and Jang scored for UKC)


Men's Standings:

(from www.acaa.ca)

Team	GP	Wins	Ties	Losses	PF	PA	Points	Rank
UKC	2	2	0	0	8	4	6	1
NSAC	3	0	2	1	4	7	2	2
MSVU	1	0	1	0	1	1	1	3
UNBSJ	1	0	1	0	1	1	1	4
STU	1	0	1	0	1	1	1	5
HC	2	0	1	1	3	4	1	6

Women's Standings

(from www. acaa.ca)

Team	GP	Wins	Ties	Losses	PF	PA	Points	Rank
UNBSJ	2	2	0	0	9	2	6	1
UKC	2	1	1	0	3	1	4	2
MSVU	1	1	0	0	2	1	3	3
ABU	2	1	0	1	3	7	3	4
NSAC	3	1	0	2	3	5	3	5
HC	2	0	1	1	2	3	1	6
STU	2	0	0	2	1	4	0	7

Weekend Scores (Men)

--Dylan Matthias

St. FX 2 - 0 Acadia: Despite the win on goals by Michael Marousek, the team's own website declared St. FX's play as "shaky" and published a quote from their coach expressing his disappointment with his team. X prevail along with journalistic objectivity.

UPEI 2 - 1 Moncton: UPEI overcame a one-goal deficit to win 2-1. Jimmy Mayaleh scored a free kick goal to erase Maxime Furlotte's early second half goal. Nathan Snowie then won the game for UPEI in stoppage time.

MTA 2 - 1 MUN: Mount Allison countered Steven DeLong's goal for MUN with goals from Femi Adehidi and Iain MacLeod. MUN also lost starting goalkeeper Luke Olmstead to an "arm injury," according to www.mun.ca.

DAL 1 - 0 CBU: Cape Breton lost on a 69th minute Kerry Weymann header.

UPEI 0 - 1: UNB: UPEI dropped three points at home, giving up a goal to UNB's Kenny Morrison in the 63rd minute.

Moncton 1 - 2 MUN: Steven DeLong notched his second and Zach Wade also scored for MUN. Matt Breen played goalkeeper for MUN.

SMU 0 - 0 CBU: Neither team could find a goal as CBU failed to score on their road trip to Halifax.

MTA 1 - 1 UNB: Each team scored a goal in the only game we can't find a summary of. Sorry.

Source Material: AUS, stfx.ca, upei.ca, mun.ca, The Chronicle-Herald,

Capers win Sunday at SMU (and other scores) (Women)

--Dylan Matthias

St. FX 1 - 0 Acadia: Amy McKinnon scored the only goal the St. FX women would need to defeat Acadia 1-0 in Antigonish.

UPEI 1 - 0 Moncton: A goal from Kinza Baker gave UPEI three points last Friday, as they took on Moncton in PEI.

UPEI 2 - 0 UNB: Saturday's game followed Friday's for UPEI, who managed to take six points from the weekend with goals from Kinza Baker (her second on the season) and Rachel Graham.

MTA 3 - 2 MUN: Kailey Bower twice countered MUN goals from Heather Williams before Sara Laking scored in stoppage time to secure a 3-2 win for Mount A.

MTA 5 - 1 UNB: The Mounties took apart the Varsity Reds 5-1 with four goals from Sara Laking, taking her total to 5 on the season after only two games.

DAL 0 - 0 CBU: Dalhousie wasted numerous opportunities to win and Jessica MacDermid made several key saves to preserve a 0-0 draw for both teams.

Moncton 1 - 0 MUN: Moncton sent Memorial home with zero of six points from the weekend with Stephanie Leahy's goal.

SMU 0 - 3 CBU: The Cape Breton Capers women put a positive spin on the end of their weekend road trip, putting three goals past Saint Mary's to win 3-0. The Capers have yet to allow a goal this year, while the Huskies have yet to score, even in preseason. Alyssa Kavanaugh, Alyssa Budhoo, and veteran midfielder Hannah Abenheimer scored for CBU.





--Source Material: AUS, The Chronicle-Herald, stfx.ca, mun.ca, upei.ca

Dalhousie Tigers (M) v. Cape Breton Capers (M)---Round 1 AUS---As It Happened

1min: Hi. Women's game just ended, so we're about to kick-off for the men.

Teams: Dal: Haughn, Daoust-Wheatley, Dalziel, Afani, Haegn, Al-Awaid, Mazurkewich, Rogers, Negulic, Ur.

CBU: Lowe, Whitting, Rajkovic, Rigby, Hollis, Harbis, Cox, Vassell, Bean, Robinson, Tournidis.

2min: Dal work a chance with Daoust-Wheatley crossing for Mazurkewich, who misses.

3min: CBU test Ur early. Hollis launches from close range and Ur makes a phenomenal reflex save to deny him the top corner.

5min: Mazurkewich breaks in again, but Whitting slides it out for a throw.

6min: CBU have 11 internationals in their roster, mostly from Bermuda. It gives them a very different style than most AUS teams, so Dal have to be careful. A bit of a culture clash, if you will.

10min: Ur is forced to tip a CBU corner behind now. CBU look sharp. Sadly, they foul on the next corner and Dal clear.

13min: Ur collides with Whitting, who clearly gets the worst of it. He's slow to get up, but alright.

15min: Corner to Dal as Daoust-Wheatley makes a solid run on the right. He then competes in the box, but can't make much happen.

18min: Chippy so far, but after a fast beginning, it's settled into a sort of mediocre sloppiness. It's competitive mediocre sloppiness, mind.

21min: Daoust-Wheatley opens things up with another run down the right. He tries to cut onto his left foot but his shot is blocked.

24min: Mazurkewich is booked for putting his elbow through the back of Whitting's head. That won't be the last card tonight.

26min: Afani generates Dal's first real chance by cutting inside from the left. He rolls his shot disappointingly wide, though.

30min: CBU win a free kick. Cox smashes it into the wall and scrappiness ensues.

31min: Mazurkewich is coming off for Nathan Beck. I can't help but think that's precautionary in a game that is chippy enough to get out of hand.

33min: Rigby fouls Nathan Rogers and gets a stern warning from the ref. Could have easily been a card.

35min: CBU withdraw Hollis and Seion Darrell replaces him.

37min: Haughn is flagged offside while he was in acres of space. That was close and Haughn might have been onside that time. CBU counter quickly and Lewers beats Ur to a long ball, but he's offside, too.

39min: Dal are slowly beginning to boss this game; CBU are, slowly, starting to have difficulty keeping up with Dal and are starting to foul them a lot.

40min: Afani pops up again, breaking in alone but he's dispossessed by Cox.

41min: Daoust-Wheatley breaks in but is called offside—wrongly. Close, but he was level with where I'm standing and he was on.

42min: Corner to CBU. It's an outswinger and Lewers drives a header to the top corner. A flying Ur denies him spectacularly.

44min: Daoust-Wheatley should just about be getting frustrated now. He looks carefully along the CBU back line to make sure he's onside, makes his run, and is flagged offside.

Half-time: 45 minutes and it's still 0-0, and we still haven't seen a goal today. Very close fought, though. Dal should be taking CBU apart—they're the better team—bet they seem to lack a killer touch.

We're back for the second half. Dal kick-off and here's us hoping for a goal.

46min: Dal have dealt well with CBU's flair—that Caribbean through-ball style that can trip teams up sometimes—well tonight. The Tigers have contained the pace and energy of the Bermudans.

48min: Negulic does his thing, jumping two tackles down the left and crossing. Daoust-Wheatley misses it, Beck misses it, and Afani falls over as they all try to shoot.

52min: A Dal free kick results in a header which Tournidis punches wide. Good save.

56min: A CBU corner results in a punch by Ben Ur. It's really pretty routine, but I needed something to write.

57min: Lewers works Ur—though it was straight at him and it turns out Lewers was offside so it wouldn't have counted even if it had gone in.

60min: Free kick to Dal, wide right. Hagen will put it in. Tournidis claims it, but he collides with Afani in the process and it look's like he's hurt his back. He keeps playing, though.

63min: Negulic steals a ball, but Hagen mutilates the offensive move with a horribly timed tackle. Daoust-Wheatley, who's been lively if ineffective tonight, is replaced by Wes Hawley, who isn't always as attractive in his play as Daoust-Wheatley, but he gets the job done.

64min: Dal win a corner and Tournidis is clobbered again. CBU then counter five against two, but Dal somehow survive to work a chance of their own. Hawley can't get a shot off first time, but he hangs around and gets his head on the ensuing cross, forcing Tournidis to punch clear.

65min: Dal force a save and keep the pressure on. Corner, again.

66min: Negulic screams it in and Afani puts it wide from his head. Whitting off for Darrell, who I think came off at half-time. Dal are really pressing now, and CBU looks tested just to get out of their defensive third and hold any kind of possession.

68min: A corner to Dal finds Hawley, 10 yards out. He hesitates and pounds the shot wide, apparently off a defender.

69min: GOAL! (Weymann 1): The corner is smashed in by Negulic and this time there's no mistake from Weymann who bulges the top corner with his header.

71min: Corner to Dal, which results in a second. It's Negulic to take it...cleared.

73min: Pardon the pun, but the Tiger is now awake. Dale are taking over too easily. They should score again.

76min: Hagen now gets space and chips over the rushing Tournidis but the ball bounces wide. CBU sub: Lewers off for Davis.

79min: Negulic crosses and Davis puts it behind. The corner isn't very good, and Tournidis catches it.

81min: Afani is off for Hutchison and Burr replaces Negulic. CBU exchange Hollis for MacIsaac.

84min: Beck crosses for Hutchison, but he can't connect and the ball rolls away, despite a gaping goal.

86min: A thrash from Darrell sends Ur leaping across his goal, but it misses Ur and the post by inches.

89min: Whitting is brought off for Shayne Hollis, as CBU looks for offense, which they haven't had much of tonight.

90min: Vassell launches a studs up tackles which fells Jason Burr. Vassell gets a yellow.

90+min: CBU break down the right and Darrell catches Ur off his line, bit the chip shot flies just over the bar.

90+min: Solid defending from Weymann as Hollis breaks down the left. Ur does well to clear the ensuing corner.

90+min: Rigby invades the area and is brought down. The ref waves him up, incurring abuse from the CBU players and bench. Dal may have gotten just a tad lucky there. Keishen Bean gets booked for dissent.

90+min: Full-time and Dal take it on Weymann's goal. They have deserved it tonight. They've outplayed CBU, who always look dangerous, but somehow lacking in the finishing, or the composure, or the skill. They have the talent, but always seem unfocused, like they are unsure what to do with it. When they did get possession, they often failed to create through the midfield. And when they got near goal, they lacked the patience to break Dal down.

Dalhousie Tigers W) v. Cape Breton Capers (W)---Round 1 AUS---As It Happened

12:19: Hi, and welcome to what,with several hundred dollars worth of technical equipment, could have been/could be a live report. Such technology is not available to Dal Soccer Live at this time. As such, we're not actually “live” anymore. If you're upset about that, you can go and see our legal department, which would cost several million dollars that we don't have, either.

12:22: CBU have really nice new orange and black kits, so they look like a cross between AS Roma and Jack O'Lanterns. Snazzy.

12:25: Big news! “Eye of the Tiger” has yet to be played and we're 25 minutes into warm-up!

12:26: Pre-game stuff you actually might want to know. CBU are really good, but key striker Kristina Weatherbie has left. Dal weren't so good last year, but have 12 new players and look really good in preseason, which means we're in for a stagnating 0-0 draw here, I'm afraid. Yep, that's my official prediction.

12:33: Kate MacDonald has a substitute pinny on for Dal. Does this mean Jack Hutchison is actually going to sit his most potent offensive player to try and throw off CBU? Not sure I agree there. Let's see if she starts.

Teams: CBU: MacDermid, McNeill, Kavanaugh, Katherine Mills, Lannon, Burke, Shaw, Snow, Rogers, Budhoo, Abenheimer.

Dal: Armstrong, Morrison, Colleen MacDonald, Richard, O'Reilly, Kate MacDonald, Huck, Donald, McKilligan, Landry, Henry.

1min: Dal kick-off and we don't have a clock. For AUS play? Unconscionable!

4min: Not much to report so far. Huck loops one in, but it's high. And Alannah MacLean, who has been, but for 10 minutes against SMU last Sunday, curiously absent, is still listed on the team sheet. She's evidently not dressing today, though, since she and most of the other Dal reserves are sitting two rows in front of me. I'll try and look into that.

6min: CBU free kick, after a chop from O'Reilly, I think. Shaw sends a dangerous ball in, but everyone misses it and it goes out for a goal kick.

8min: It's rather crucial to keep an eye on Erika Lannon. That job falls to Amanda Henry today.

10min: Now a Dal free kick, about 35 yards out. Donald lays a pass for O'Reilly to chase. She never gets to it, though. Sloppy, there.

11min: O'Reilly shoots from 30 yards. MacDermid yawns before catching it.

13min: Ref's a bit whistle-happy at the moment.

17min: It's worth bearing in mind that much of this CBU roster has CIS national experience, and a lot of it at that. Dal look like they're a bit nervous. A lot of debuts today, after all.

21min: Kate MacDonald gets an elbow in the teeth and politely indicates to the ref that a foul was in order. She's right, too. Speaking of which, Dal want to make sure Lannon doesn't get a chance to win a penalty. This ref would call it.

22min: Kate MacDonald with another long range effort, which MacDermid snags.

24min: Henry forces Lannon to tackle from behind. Henry stumbles a bit and keeps running when she should have gone down. That challenge was illegal and would have felled most players—make sure the ref sees it. Any chance to get Lannon booked should be taken, especially if it's legitimate.

25min: Dal's first change, McKilligan out for Blodgett. Capers Kristine Mills in for Snow, possibly. Blodgett's a great player—now she has to conquer the debut nerves.

27min: CBU are dirty. Lots of late kicking and a lot of elbows. Ref's calling none of it.

28min: Huck gets a chance, but CBU escape with a corner. It's cleared.

29min: Great chance for Blodgett, who controls a missed opportunity, cuts to her left boot and smashes a lethal-looking shot across goal, which MacDermid just fingers away.

30min: Lannon gets through, but is inches offside.

31min: To me, Katie Richard is wasted at left back. She's so creative, but she never gets any tocuhes at the back. When Stephanie Crewe and Alannah MacLean are watching the game, it makes no sense. Without Richard linking in midfield, Dal end up booting long balls up to 5'7” Kate MacDonald, which isn't overly effective.

34min: CBU gets a free kick after the ref calls Huck for contact CBU have been getting away with all day. Huck ignores the ref's lecture. CBU's ball in is brilliant, but so is Armstrong, who claims very well.

35min: Free kick to Dal, 20 yards out after O'Reilly is hauled down.

36min: Great strike from Huck, who beats the wall. MacDermid is just able to touch it onto the bar. Capers bring Sabina Solymar in for Tara Rogers.

37min: Dal's corner slices through the six-yard box. There's no contact and it runs out.

38min: Lannon's withdrawn for a rest. Jennifer Sheppard comes in.

43min: Blodgett extends MacDermid with a long range blast. MacDermid misses, but the ball
flashes past the post. CBU bring off McNeill for Cunningham.

45+min: Morrison is plowed in the back of the head with an arm, and fails to draw a card. That was yellow, at least.

45+min: Kate MacDonald finds Landry, who tries to head home from 15 yards out. She doesn't.

45+min: Corner to Cape Breton. It's put out and they'll do it again. This one is played aorund a bit before Solymar mishits a two-yard tap-in. CBU should be 1-0 up. Great cross from Burke to find Solymar, but utterly wasted by the CBU striker.

45+min: Kate MacDonald is dropped from behind with a nasty challenge. No foul.

Half-time: The ref calls the half, which is possibly the first reliable thing he's done today.
And we're back. Here come as many subs as I can find. Santilli has replaced O'Reilly as Dal play 3 deeper midfielders. Lannon's back in, I think for Solymar. McNeill's back in, too.

48min: Armstrong robs Lannon! Dal's 4th year keeper dives to her right to deny CBU's dangerous scorer the low corner of the goal. Pure reaction at point-blank range.

50min: Richard gets lots of possession down the left, but doesn't make much of it. She's great getting forward, though.

51min: Katherine Mills just about catches MacDermid on a back pass. They survive, but concede a free kick.

52min: Morrison kind of wastes the shot.

53min: Corner to Dal, which MacDermid drops, but Dal can't convert.

56min: Landry is withdrawn for McKilligan again. Kate MacDonald gets flattened again. Free kick to Dal.

57min: Cleared off the line! Twice! The free kick comes in, MacDermid steals the first header from Santilli, and Kate MacDonald follows up only to see Cunningham clear again.

61min: Cool goalkeeping from Armstrong, claiming well under pressure from Solymar. CBU now withdraw Solymar for Sheppard and Burke replaces Lannon.

62min: Dal sub, with Kate MacDonald coming off for Emma Landry.

63min: Good-looking CBU cross flies narrowly past three attackers before Dal clear.

64min: Snow is booked for pulling back Landry in the midfield. That was deserved.

65min: Dal looks sharp—but not much like scoring.

66min: Santilli's been a beast for Dal in midfield after her concussion last week (albeit a mild one). CBU remove Sheppard for Kristine Mills.

68min: Landry has a pop, which MacDermid watches sail wide.

71min: Corner to Dal. Donald controls, but she can't get her shot through.

72min: Dal narrowly miss as Blodgett screams one across the face of goal. Dal have to be careful: wasted chances can hurt if CBU snatch a winner on a set-piece. Dal should get three points here—they deserve it—but they don't have forever. McKilligan is off Kate MacDonald. Sheppard is replaced by Solymar.

74min: Morrison has a shot, but it's off her weaker foot as MacDermid claims.

79min: Budhoo out for Lannon as CBU get a corner. Watch out: Lannon can score quickly. It only takes one mistake.

81min: CBU get a ball in the box off another corner, but Dal hustle it clear.

83min: Kate MacDonald goes down in the box. Snow throws her arms up in the air as MacDonald tumbles and the ref buys it.

85min: Santilli stings MacDermid's palms with a free kick and Landry somehow misses the wide open rebound before MacDermid can claim it.

87min: Donald takes her time, meditates on the matter, consults Aristotle's “Ethics” and thrashes a shot over MacDermid and off the bar. Landry misses another gaping rebound as MacDermid was lying helpless.

90min: Corner to CBU as Sheppard replaces Lannon, I think. Dal clear the corner and bring on McKilligan for Santilli. Landry then goes on a mazy run looking for a shot, which she never finds.

90+min: The ref's tagged two minutes on. Huck launches a cross-shot which MacDermid pulls in.
90+min: Burke is borught off for Tara Rogers.

Full-time: And my prediction comes true, with a 0-0 scoreline, although it wasn;t as boring as I predicted. Solid showing, but both teams—especially Dal—will be disappointed with a single point.

UKC Blue Devils (M) v. Halifax City (M)---Preseason

8:30-something: Hi everyone. It's a cool, but not uncomfortable night here at Wickwire Field. Kings' men take on Halifax City in a friendly. It'll be a bit of a touch and go affair round this notebook, since I don't have current rosters for Kings' yet and City are using a combination team best described as experimental. In other words, their coach is playing. Bear with me.

Dal played City on Tuesday and while details are sketchy, the City players tell me it was a pretty one-sided scoreline for Dal. They won't tell me any more than that.

There's a pretty massive rugby practice going on now, although they should be gone soon.

Halifax City are, if possible, taking this even less seriously than Kings', who have already admitted they don't care about this game. City are going to senior men's nationals in November. All in all, that means a couple of players might actually run for a few seconds tonight.

Don't even ask me for teams.

UKC: Viner, Wallingford, Bathe, Rombault, Pate, Parsley, Kovacevic, Keun, possibly Palmer-Dixon, Straathof, and Karkilins.

I have no idea who the City players are.

1min: City will kick off once someone finds a ball to play with. I told you they didn't care too much.

1min: They find a ball and City kick-off.

2min: No clock, so all times are estimates. Corner to City.

3min: After one mulligan corner for City, they manage to force Viner into a save off a header. He throws it straight back to the City attackers, but they go offside.

5min: Kings' work half a chance but City's keeper claims it.

7min: Keun loops miles over from 20 yards. Blah.

10min: Corner to Kings'. City clear.

11min: City #15, who might be Kevin Steeves, breaks down the right side of the box and crosses for #18 who shanks a tap in.

13min: Karkilins gets by somebody who might or might not be Brian Francis and chips a shot over both keeper and goal. Ho-hum.

17min: Kings' look tested so far, which is good practice for them.

19min: Karkilins misses glorious chance number 6582347 by getting free in the D and walloping wide and high. Yawn.

21min: Shot from City #18 is easy for Viner, but at least on target.

27min: Viner whiffs on a City ball, but it bounces away. Lucky guy, there.

28min: Karkilins spins to make space and somehow contrives not to get a shot. City bring off number 15 for 9, 22 for 14, and somebody else for #4.

31min: Karkilins has a shot deflected wide. Closer.

33min: Pate misses a challenge on the left and Viner is forced to palm the cross dangerously out into space. City fail to create a chance from that.

34min: Corner to Kings'. They go offside and it's wasted.

35min: City get a shot. It sails 5 feet over, but it's still a shot.

37min: Wallingford with soem strong defending on the right. He's looked good so far.

38min: Keun is down with a right leg problem. Might be an ankle, might be some cramp. I think there was some contact late, it was kind of behind the play. City remove #8 for #4. Meanwhiel, Keun is carried off by two teamates.

41min: Karkilins... misses! Though it's on target this time. Nice save from the keeper, but he had all the time in the world and sent it straight at him. The corner is cleared off the line. This is a little better.

42min: Keun has been replaced for Kings', but I can't figure out by whom.

44min: City work a chance, but 19 shoots wide after deflecting the ball off a Kings' player.

45min: Parsley breaks down the right, sizes up the keeper, looks far post, and misses. Apparently the keeper got a piece of it, but the corner comes to nothing.

45+min: GOAL!: Karkilins finally scores, riding more than a few challenges before cutting back, turning, and scoring into the low corner. At last! 1-0.

45+min: Wallingford deals particularly well with a cross and starts a counter-attack, which deteriorates pretty quickly.

45+min: Fegan, I think, off for #8, who may be Budreski.

45+min: Parsley and Wallingford work a good chance, but City #14 claers at the last moment.

Half-time: The ref blows for the half. Missed chances abound and it's beena bit sloppy so far.

We're just about back. Kings' have a few changes. Donal is in, MacIntyre is in. #2 is also in, but we don't have the new roster yet, so I have no idea who he is.

City will have made changes, but I'll never be able to find out who.

47min: Sustained City attack, but Kings' survive.

48min: MacIntyre with his first loud--but legal--sliding challenge. Now Karkilins chases a ball into the box, but can't catch it.

50min: Kings' free kick wide right. It's repelled pretty easily. City counter quickly and catch Viner 10yards out of his box, but he manages to boot it away and scamper back.

51min: Budreski with a wild challenge in the midfield. He's somewhat lucky to avoid the yellow for that.

54min: Karkilins finds #2, but #2 skews the shot away from the goal.

55min: MacIntyre loud and boisterous tackle count: 2.

56min: Corner to City after Rombault defends a cross. City play it short and lose possession.

57min: GOAL!: Fegan equalizes against his other team as Kings' try to move forward, lose possession, and gift City a 3-on-2. Fegan loops the shot over Viner, who got a hand on it, but not enough of a hand.

58min: MacIntyre loud a boisterous tackle count: 3.

59min: Donal flubs on a pass back to him and City #22 breaks in. His cross floats behind over the bar, though.

61min: Fegan gets his head on the end of another Blue Devils defensive blunder, but his shot is just over.

63min: Karkilins races the keeper to a loose ball, but the keeper wins the race. Bedruski off for the coach, #15.

64min: Kings' are through on goal, but Karkilins is offside.

65min: 2-on-1 for Kings' in the box, but MacIntyre loses possession somehow. He makes up for ti with a challenge. Loud and boisterous tackle count: 4.

66min: The war of words which has been going on more or less since kick-off ebtween Karkilins and City #14 (probably Brian Francis) results in some shouting and a lecture from the ref. Francis refuses to apologize to Karkilins, who is now taken off for Kovacevic. I can't help but notice Kovacevic is a lot taller than Francis.

68min: Pate clears a tap in away from City's coach as Bedruski (who appears to be back on) sens it across. Nice link-up for City but pate made a phenomenal clearance.

71min: Corner to Kings' is claimed. City #10 replaced by City #19.

73min: GOAL! Bedruskim, who has worried Kings' with his pace all night finally gets his goal. City steal down the left and Fegan picks out Bedruski with a low, hard cross. Bedruski taps it past Viner. Fegan's been pretty deadly tonight.

Full-Time, apparently. Whether I lost track of time spectacularly or the ref blew early we'll never know. Certainly my watch didn't suggest 45 minutes had elapsed since half-time, but I could be wrong. It is conceivable, though, that they just called it, given both teams were looking a bit tired and Kings' play Saturday. Final score is a 2-1 win for Halifax City.

Kings' Men Add new Assistant Coach

The Kings' Blue Devil's men's soccer team has added Mike Ayyash as an assistant coach for this season.

Ayyash has experience in the Nova Scotia provincial soccer program, where he was an assistant with the under-15 age group, as well as with Bedford and Halifax County soccer clubs.

Ayyash joins Matt Fegan (who plays for Halifax City against Kings' tonight) in head coach C.J. Young's coaching staff.

Ayyash, Young, and Fegan all played for Kings' in the 2001-2002 season, which ended in an extra-time defeat to UNB Saint John's in the ACAA finals.

"[I] had a great time playing for the college and C.J. asked me to come on board as an assistant," said Ayyash.

He's still learning the ropes with Kings', as he's not familiar with the more recent ACAA. He admits that he's still learning who the players are. Given it's his second day on the job, that's understandable.

He has yet to really set expectations, but has a competitive philosophy:

"Any time you go into any season, you want to be competitive and win every game you play."

Kings' first home game is September 19th as St. Thomas University comes to visit.

Kings' Men Practice Report

The Kings' mens soccer team is beginning to take shape for the season.

They play a preseason match tonight (Thursday, 9pm, Wickwire Field) against local NSSL side Halifax City.

"Not worried about the result. Just a tune-up for the weekend," said Kings coach C.J. Young.

The real match is Saturday's season opener away to Holland College. Young doesn;t quite know what to expect from the team Kings beat in the ACAA finals last year.

"They're programs are only 2-3 years, so they have a lot of turnover of players," said Young.

Kings' defeated Holland College on penalties in last year's final, with departed keeper Mike Beazley proving crucial.

"It's a bit of a grudge match," said captain Greg Bathe. Bathe returns as team captain after making the CCAA tournament all-star team last year.

The starting keeper spot is up for grabs, with last year's back-up Josh Viner perhaps having a bit of an edge over two others trying out.

Kings will also look to rookies Nino Kovacevic and Ken Wallingford to contribute.

Kovacevic plays central midfield and if Wednesday's practice is anything to judge by, he can move the ball around.

"Should be a good pivotal player," said Young, meaning he can defend and attack. "The league isn't full of talented centre mids, so it's nice to have one."

The Blue Devils have already played an exhibition game against AUS' Acadia Axemen soccer team. Kings' won 2-1. For an ACAA team, technically a level below AUS, that's a significant accomplishment.

Dalhousie Women Preseason Update

The Tigers women soccer team practised last night (Wednesday), in preparation for hosting Cape Breton in a tough home opener on Saturday (1pm, Wickwire Field).

"It's been really intense this week," said striker Kate MacDonald after practice. "Just getting the feel for how we play because we've got 9 new people."

The practice involved a lot of positional practice and tactical work, with coach Jack Hutchison frequently interrupting scrimmages to reposition players and work out runs.

Hutchison has a few more options up front this year, with the additions of Emma Landry, Beth O'Reilly, Joanna Blodgett, and Brianna Ford, all players who can contribute offensively.

"Our rookies are very, very good," said MacDonald, mentioning O'Reilly and rookie keeper Taryn McKenna, as well as transfer players Laura Johnstone, Ashley Donald, and Teresa Morrison.

Johnstone is a former Queens University player in the very competitive OUA. Donald captained Saint Mary's last year and Morrison was captain of St. FX.

All three are defensive players. Morrison is the only one to score so far this year, but she spent most of Sunday's 4-0 win over SMU shutting down the Huskies in a holding midfield role. Donald was used similarly, and Johnstone is listed as defender, although she has yet to play much.

With a lot of experience at the back, MacDonald will be relied upon to provide scoring, along with help from the rookies.

This year, she has moved to a more central role, from the wing where she was the team's leading scorer last year.

"It's a lot more of holding the ball, linking through balls," said MacDonald. "I like the striker more--it's a little more intense and you score more goals."