Men’s soccer falls in closing two contests
Halifax natives Zach Bauld and Derek Gaudet put the Tigers to bed Oct. 26, scoring on either side of the half to give Saint Mary’s a 2 – 0 victory at Huskies Stadium.
SMU’s victory follows Dalhousie’s 1 – 0 win at Wickwire Field the weekend earlier.
The Tigers could not find their footing offensively and were instead defending attack after attack. Zach Fisher took an early yellow card when he was beat by Ian Coke, leading the way for a choppy affair without much fluidity.
Bauld put Saint Mary’s up by a score in the 10th minute with a powerful header. He was on the fortunate side of some poor Dal coverage, finding himself unmarked as the corner flew in.
Gaudet expanded SMU’s lead in the 54th minute when he displayed his composure curling home a shot from the top of the 18-yard box. Dal had committed a foul just prior to the play, but the referee gave advantage when the ball fell nicely for Gaudet, allowing him to put Saint Mary’s up 2 – 0.
The Huskies faithful cordially “hushed” the Tigers as the second goal went into the net—a reenactment of the celebration Tigers midfielder Phillip Parsons performed after his lone goal sunk the Huskies back during Dal’s homecoming weekend.
Tigers second-year striker Tyler Lewars entered the game at the end of the second half and helped the attack with his pace and physical play. He was a bright light for Dal, coming close in the 67th minute when he just missed the far post on a breakaway.
“Not starting was something I’m obviously not used to, but [Bezick] Evraire and [Julian] Perrotta were hot.” said Lewars. “It was an important derby for us and unfortunately Saint Mary’s wanted it more. We could never get the ball settled through the middle and resorted to a lot of kick and chase which was not a successful tactic.”
Dal goalkeeper Ben Ur proved once again in the match why he is well on his way to becoming an AUS first team all-star for the second consecutive year, standing on his head with a number of stellar saves in the loss.
The winless Acadia Axemen were in town for Sunday afternoon’s rain-soaked game, and with Dal’s playoff spot booked and Acadia out of contention, all that was left to play for was pride.
The weather played a pivotal role in the final game of the regular season, not allowing either team to settle the ball in what would become Acadia’s only win this season. Halifax native Jonathan Hammond, a fifth-year in his final AUS game, scored both goals for the Axemen in their 2 – 0 victory. They were both well-taken attempts, the second a cheeky chip over Tigers keeper Ben Ur after a pass sent him through one-on-one.
Only one goal was required from the victor as neither team could get any consistency in their play.
For fifth-years Ur, Wesley Hawley and transfer Nick Persichino, this was their last university regular season game.
The Tigers dropped to fourth place in the AUS after losing to Acadia. They end the season with a 6-5-2 record.
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