Huskies take season series 3-0 with 11-9 win over Axemen

(WOLFVILLE, N.S.) - A game of field goals was won by the Huskies' Chase Kodejs. The rookie kicker put three field goals through the uprights in the second half to bring Saint Mary's back from a 9-0 halftime deficit.

Acadia's Ryan Begin nailed three field goals in the opening half, but Kodejs would have the last crack at winning the game following a team safety early in the second half.

Kodejs connected on his first of three field goals from the 37-yard line, followed by a 12-yard kick for three at the seven minute mark of the third quarter. The 37-yard field goal came at the expense of an Acadia fumbled punt return recovered by Saint Mary's at Acadia's 38-yard line.

Kodejs' last field goal, the eventual game winner, ended a 44-yard drive that fell short due to one of several Acadia defensive stands.

Begin was good for all three of his field goal attempts, all of which came in the first half. The first was a 30-yard field goal in the first quarter, followed by two more from 35 and 32 yards to end the half.

Both Kodejs and Begin were named the Subway Players of the Game in the mostly defensive battle.

Saint Mary's edged Acadia 222 to 198 in net offensive yards, while pivot Jack Creighton led the Huskies with 10 completions in 18 attempts for 98 yards.

Acadia's Evan Brown was eight for 22 for 108 yards through the air.

The Axemen's Taylor Renaud posted a game-high 66 yards in receiving on five catches, while the Huskies' Mike Dawes rushed for a game-high 80 net yards on 17 carries.

Renaud now has 2,052 career receiving yards to sit tenth all-time in AUS history. He is just the third Axemen receiver to eclipse the 2,000 yard mark. His 132 career receptions is also tied for the ninth-most catches in conference history.

"We moved the ball effectively in the first half and our defence continued to stymie Saint Mary's," said Acadia head coach Jeff Cummins after the game. "We need to be more consistent and finish what we started. In this case, play a complete game."

The Huskies improve to 4-2 with a three-game winning streak that followed their loss to the last-place Mount Allison Mounties.

The defending AUS champion Axemen drop to 2-4 and will remain home next weekend against StFX, with hopes of ending their two-game slide. 

StFX visits Mount Allison Saturday with an eye on improving to 4-2 and remaining in the hunt for first place.

Source: Acadia Sport Information