2024 AUS Men's Soccer Championship: Capers blank Tigers to move to semis

Oct. 24, 2024

(FREDERICTON, NB) The No. 5 seeded Cape Breton CAPERS beat the No. 4 Dalhousie Tigers in the first of Thursday's two Atlantic University Sport men's soccer quarter-finals, at UNB's BMO Centre, in Fredericton. 

Harvey Hughes (Southampton, UK) and Max Piepgrass (Calgary, AB) scored for the CAPERS while keeper Daniel Clarke (Milton Keynes, UK) stopped two shots. 

About 15 minutes in, Tigers starting keeper Emmett Workman (Halifax, NS) suffered an injury in a collision in the 18-yard box and was removed from the game. 

Sinclair Astridge (Victoria, BC), named an AUS 1st Team All-Star, earlier in the week, came on in relief. 

While an aggressive Dal team created some early opportunities, it was the defending national champion Capers who scored first. 

In the 40th minute, Hughes fired a hard shot past Astridge, and Cape Breton led 1-0 at the half. 

Early in the second half, Piepgrass doubled the CBU lead on a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box. Astridge got a piece of the shot but appeared to re-direct the ball to the lower corner of his net. 

Dal applied some pressured late, looking to generate a rally, but were held at bay by a strong Capers defence. 

Defender Kyle Routledge (Halifax, NS) was named the Tigers player of the game while Hughes earned that honour for the Capers. 

The Tigers, who finished the regular season with a 6-4-2 (W-L-T) record and allowed the second fewest goals against, see their season come to an end. 

The Capers went 6-6-0. In a U SPORTS ruling they forfeited six regular season games, four wins and two ties, after it was determined CBU had used two ineligible players. 

They advance to Friday's semi-finals and a date with the top-ranked STFX X-Men. Game time is 1 p.m. ADT 

RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics 

PHOTOS BY: James West/for UNB Athletics