Undefeated

We’re used to having good things at Dalhousie. Yet we always think of ourselves as small. Maybe it’s the influence of Halifax, the small seaside city in eastern Canada. Maybe it’s that we’re always comparing ourselves to McGill and the University of Toronto. Or perhaps we’re just used to ignoring our men’s volleyball team, who are amazingly talented. Whatever the reason, we have a bit of an inferiority complex.

Not known traditionally known for Athletics and despite budget cuts, recent years have seen Dal field championship teams in nearly every sport. Some of the best swimmers, sailors and volleyball players in Canada wear Dal Black and Gold, we field the best rugby team this side of the Rockies and have a men’s hockey team laden with NHL-calibre talent. Could undefeated Dal Soccer teams be the next big thing to come out of Dal?

It was a little hard to figure out what to think last year when both our soccer teams made CIS nationals by winning the AUS playoffs (or, in the women’s case, coming second). It had been a long time since 2000 when we last won CIAU nationals. It’s a different league now – more schools, different name and better competition. It was especially shocking for our men’s team, who finished last in 2007 and won only one game.

As a result, we weren’t too shocked when both our teams bombed out of Nationals. The women were beaten 4-0 by a middle of the road Victoria Vikes team. The men lost 2-0 to the powerful Montreal Carabins, and managed to win a consolation match and finish sixth. “Oh well,” we thought, “back to being small again.”

This year, Tigers soccer has made huge improvements. Where last year was hard to watch at times, this year has seen exciting soccer on Wickwire Field. Attacking soccer. Quick passing and clinical finishing as opposed to last year’s “bunker down and hope Ben Ur or Heather Armstrong can save it” strategy.
That’s why we’re focussing this issue on the soccer teams – because it’s kind of hard to predict what they’ll do this year. What should we expect, anyway?

Men

This team is radically different from last year. The defence is still solid and Ben Ur can still save it. But now there’s Michel Daoust and Hamzeh Afani to score goals. The chemistry these two have developed with Ross Hagen, Wes Hawley, Eric Negulic and the other Tiger players has been considerable.
They’ve scored quite a few goals, too, with 17 this year so far – far more than any AUS team. This is a very, very good team. As you can see in this week’s Dalhousie-Memorial story, Memorial coach Scott Betts said his team were outmatched and outplayed in every position. Memorial are not a great team, nor are they an altogether bad team.

This men’s team is a men’s team that needs to be compared to CIS competition. This team is clearly on another level, a level above the physical, chippy AUS.

That, though, gives us our problem of expectations. To get to Nationals, the Tigers must win a two to three game knockout playoff. Anything can happen in those games – injuries, refereeing decisions, soft goals. All could send Dalhousie down in flames.

As fans, can we expect them to overcome that? If this team is as good as it looks, then it should. Dalhousie have now played everyone except UPEI. They’ve beaten just about everyone handily, with the exception of UNB and U de M.

Playoffs are playoffs, but Dalhousie are hosting and have played well at home this year (UNB and U de M were on the road), bouyed by some strong support organised from the residences. Howe Hall have a group about 50 strong and Shirreff Hall a group of about 25. I think it’s safe to assume Wickwire will be packed for the AUS finals, and I think we can expect that Dalhousie will play in them.

Remember, though. That’s the equivalent of a game seven in the Stanley Cup finals. Red Wings fans won’t need reminding what can happen to teams expecting to win. Ur pretty much single-handedly sent the Tigers to Nationals last year. Someone will have to lead them this year, too.

Women

The women’s team is also improved, mainly with experience. It’s a union of captains in Teresa Morrison and Ashley Donald, who join co-captains Jeanette Huck and Kate MacDonald. Leadership won’t be a problem. Motivation shouldn’t be a problem.

Scoring has been easier for Dal this year (they scored the second fewest goals in AUS last year) with help from Joanna Blodgett and Emma Landry, but that remains secondary scoring. Kate MacDonald is still the only consistent offensive threat. Katie Richard and Ashley Donald chip in but often drop to midfield when the Tigers need to defend.

That means much of the secondary scoring is coming from rookies who have never played in AUS playoffs before. While they come quite highly rated, this, as Blodgett has said, is another level.
There was some question as to how much the Tigers deserved to be at Nationals last year, as they played pretty badly in the playoffs and lost in the final. But two AUS teams got in last year and they joined the Capers in British Columbia.

Those questions were exacerbated by their thrashing at the hands of University of Victoria. It was a performance that didn’t feature many Dalhousie chances and also showed signs of weakness in an otherwise solid AUS defence.

And therein is the trick: AUS is a gritty, physical league. Few goals are scored. The skill level is a bit lower. Dalhousie’s defenders can cut it at that level, but faced with a dynamic player such as Nikki Wright or a power player such as Daniela Gerig (both Trinity Western players featured heavily in last year’s CIS win) it gets a lot harder.

So what do we expect of the Tigers? Only one AUS team will go to Nationals this year. Cape Breton have a significant edge. There have been a lot of close games for Dalhousie this year. They have the parts to win the AUS playoffs, but expecting that might be too much, especially given its being played in PEI, away from the friendly confines of Wickwire field. It will also be played on UPEI’s grass field, whereas the Tigers are used to playing on field turf.