Soccer X-Men tie, lose on the road

The soccer X-Men played another two close games over the weekend and came home with a 1-1 tie with Cape Breton and a 1-0 loss to Dalhousie.

On Sunday afternoon in Halifax, the X-Men played a very strong game against the Tigers and held possession of the ball for a significant portion of the game but came home without any points as the Tigers held on for a 1-0 win.

Ross Hagen scored the lone goal in the game for Dalhousie, off a penalty kick in the first half. X-Men Max Maund was called for bringing down a Tiger player just inside the box.

"I felt we played our best game of the year against Dalhousie and bossed them around for most of the game in all aspects," commented X-Men head coach Graham Kennedy. "However we had a penalty kick called against us in the 10th minute and it was hard call to take and I don't think either team would have complained much had the referee kept his whistle quiet. However, we put ourselves into a defensive position where we could get compromised by forcing the referee to make a quick decision."

"Giving up free kicks and then defending them has been our nemesis. We have given up free kick goals against UPEI, UNB, CBU and then Dal, all of which resulted in  losing valuable points. We are starting to play some fantastic soccer between the two 18 yard boxes, but that is not where the game is won and lost unfortunately."

Tigers keeper Ben Ur earned the shut out win and was named Player of the Game honors for Dalhousie. Josh Weinberger was Player of the Game for the X-Men.

"Josh has been the general since he arrived on campus and against Dal he played his best game of the season," says Kennedy. "Josh has played through injury without complaint and he does all the little things that make a big difference. His ball control is exceptional and his passing superb."

On Friday afternoon in Sydney, the X-Men played to a well-deserved 1-1 draw with the Cape Breton Capers. Gregg Whiting scored early in the first half for Cape Breton on a free kick. X-Men striker Michael Marousek scored a late goal in injury time for the X-Men to even the game. It was his fiftrh marker of the season.

"The game was fast paced throughout and we started slow and allowed a free kick near the penalty box," commented Kennedy. "Cape Breton capitalized and we were chasing the game instead of leading it."

Ryan Casey played an outstanding game at left back and was Player of the Game for StFX. Netminder Chris Tournidis was named Player of the Game for the Capers for his efforts. Kieran Goodwin minded the net for the blue and white.

With the single point earned over the weekend, the X-Men find themselves in a three-way tie for fifth place in the AUS standings with 8 points and a 2-3-2 record. Also with 8 points are Mount Allison and Saint Mary’s while defending AUS champions Dalhousie (6-0-1) hold onto sole possession of first place.

The X-Men will take a break from AUS competition as no games are on the schedule for Thanksgiving weekend. They next see action against a talented CBU squad with a Friday night game on Oct 16th at StFX Oland Stadium, their only night game of the year.