Written by: Duncan Forbes
There were many reasons to be optimistic about the 2013 season for the men’s soccer team. The team’s defense was anchored by fifth-year centre backs Nathan Rogers and Jordan Mannix, while Bezick Evraire and Tyler Lewars led the attack.
The streak set the table for one of the tightest finishes in AUS history. The Tigers finished in a tie with StFX and Saint Mary’s for second place with a 6-3-4 record. The tie-breaker gave Saint Mary’s the advantage, and the Tigers were given the third seed for the AUS championship.
The wind swirled and the rain came down as the Tigers and Axemen faced off at Huskies Stadium. The Tigers went down early when the Axemen scored in the 13th minute, but the momentum shifted in the 32nd minute when Acadia was issued a red card, limiting them to ten players for the rest of the match. Evraire capitalized on the ensuing penalty kick to knot the score at one. After 90 minutes of play, neither side had gained the advantage and the game was headed to overtime. Jason Ross made a diving save on a breakaway just four minutes into extra time that helped keep the Tigers season alive. Neither team could find the back of the net in overtime and the game was to be decided by penalty kicks.
The win now pitted them against their rivals and the championship hosts, the Saint Mary’s Huskies.
Bezick Evraire and Nathan Rogers were both named AUS first team all-stars, while Jason Ross was named to the second team. Evraire was also named a CIS second team all-Canadian, while Rogers was awarded both the AUS and CIS Student-Athlete Community Service awards.