By Troy Langstaff

The Tigers men’s soccer team currently sits fifth in the AUS standings with a 4-2-2 record. The team still has four games yet to be played but let’s break down how the team got to where they are now and how the rest of the season could unfold.

Performance Update

Dalhousie started the season on the wrong foot losing their first two games to UNB and cross-town rival Saint Mary’s. Since then, the team has gone undefeated compiling a 4-0-2 record in their last six games. One major blemish during that time came in their match against Moncton when they gave up two second half goals and had to settle for a draw.

Leading the way offensively is Luke Berryman with four goals. Berryman has scored the team’s last three goals resulting in victories of 2-1 over Mount Allison and 1-0 over Acadia. 

Ayoub Al-Arabi isn’t far behind with three tallies of his own. The offensive depth on the Tigers roster is evident with the rest of their goals being scored by seven different players (one each).

Goalkeeper Aiden Rushenas has started all eight games and has put up some excellent numbers. He sits second in the league in clean sheets (three), goals against (eight), and goals against average (1.00).

The Tigers defence has held their opponents to only one goal in their last four games and will hope to continue their dominance into the end October.

Remaining Schedule

Dalhousie has four games remaining on the schedule with two against league-leading StFX (7-2-0) and two against fourth-place Cape Breton (4-1-3). The Tigers will hit the road this weekend to play each of those teams once before concluding the season the following weekend at home. 

StFX’s two losses have come in their last four games so the Tigers will look to capitalize on the team that finally looks beatable.

Cape Breton on the other hand, is the only team in the league with one or fewer losses. The Tigers will need to change that if they plan on moving above them in the standings. That being said, the Tigers have yet to beat an opponent that is higher than them in the standings with losses to UNB and Saint Mary’s earlier this year. 

Can the Tigers hot streak carry them to a couple victories, or will this season's history get the best of them?

Playoffs

The playoffs feature six teams with seeds #1 and #2 getting a bye to the semifinals. With only a couple weeks left in the season it may be surprising that no team has clinched a playoff berth yet. Only four points separate third from eighth place in the standings.

Will lots of shuffling in the standings still left to do the Tigers have only themselves to rely on. The last four AUS men’s soccer seasons have seen the sixth-place team finish with an average of 16.75 points. Dalhousie currently sits with 14 points, but it seems like they will need to win at least another game or two in order to make the playoffs.

One thing is for sure, the next couple weeks are going to be filled with some dramatic soccer and the playoff race will come down to the last day.

Cape Breton will be hosting the AUS championships November 4-7th.