CAPERS punch ticket to AUS men’s soccer final with 3-0 win over Moncton

(ANTIGONISH, N.S.) The Cape Breton CAPERS are off to the Bell AUS Men's Soccer Championship game after a chippy 3-0 win over the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus on Friday afternoon at STFX Stadium.

The CAPERS will face the winner of the semifinal between STFX and Dalhousie, being played later Friday.

The top-seeded CAPERS maintained possession through the early minutes and found their reward in the sixth minute, with Jamie Nicholson knocking home a loose ball in front of the Moncton net.

Cape Breton doubled its lead in the 20th minute, when Amadou Bayo struck a shot under the bar off a pass from Evan Cunningham following a corner kick to make it 2-0.

Moncton built some momentum in the final 15 minutes of the first half and earned a dangerous free kick from about 20 yards out with five minutes remaining, but the score held at 2-0 after 45 minutes.

Les Aigles Bleus came close to getting on the board in the 60th minute but were unable to convert following a defensive miscue by the CAPERS.

Despite continued Moncton pressure, it was Cape Breton who added to the lead. Nikolai Scheurenbrand tapped in a pass from Nicholson for the final goal of the match.

Frustrations boiled over at times in the second half, resulting in several cards issued to Moncton. The Aigles Bleus came close again late, but the CAPERS' defenders cleared a ball off the line before Jack Harrington gathered it to preserve the shutout.

Harrington earned the clean sheet in goal for Cape Breton, while forward Jamie Nicholson was named the Boston Pizza Player of the Game.

Recap courtesy of Matt Draper / STFX Athletics