The 2023 season ended on a sour note for St. Thomas University’s soccer teams as the squads lost in the semifinals of the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) playoffs, denying them a spot in Nationals.
Fast forward to a new season and the teams are focused on the 2024 ACAA season.
“Last year, we had our ups and downs, but I noticed everyone was working hard this summer building our fitness and skills on and off the ball,” said Ginny Phillips, one of the captains of the women’s team.
The teams hosted their home opener weekend from September 8 to 9 against the Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) Mystics and the University of Kings College (UKC) Blue Devils.
During the home opener weekend, both games for the women’s team ended in a 1-1 draw, thanks to goals by centerback Ella Mercer and rookie winger Erika Swinamer.
Meanwhile, the men’s Tommies tied UKC 2-2 and defeated MSVU 4-1, in a rematch of last year’s ACAA playoffs where the Mystics then defeated STU 3-0.
“It was nice to leave the weekend with some points. Obviously, we would have liked the full six points, but it was a good start to get a point off each team,” said Caitlyn Steeves, captain of the women’s team and second-year central midfielder.
The 2024 home opener weekend for the women’s team marked the beginning of a second year having David Itoafa as the head coach of the squad.
The team found relative success with the Fredericton native in his first season as coach, finishing fourth in the standings and sneaking into the playoffs.
“Last year was a lot of trying to understand what it means to be a Tommie,” said Itoafa.“With the amazing coaching staff, we have started to push the standard because the programs have been in such good places and they’ve been growing.”
To help bring more of the STU community out to the games, Itoafa said the team is hosting a newcomer’s game later in the year. At the event, those students not from Canada can experience ‘soccer at a high level’ in their new country.
“We want to go into the season and make people see that STU is a soccer school,” he said.
This past off-season, Itoafa helped build one of the largest recruiting classes in the school’s history, adding 10 recruits to complement the 19 returnees on the squad.
Meanwhile, the men’s team is playing with an added incentive during the season, as STU is slated to host Nationals in early November.
“It was unfortunate not to get six points out of six, but four out of six is a good start. We had a disappointing Saturday, but it’s good to get the kinks out now while we still can, rather than later this season,” said Josh Oakes, captain of the men’s team.
Both Oakes, as well as head coach John-Ryan Morrison, said the team is not feeling any added pressure to make playoffs before nationals begin.
“I want us focused on the next game [at] hand, since every game in ACAA is very different. And we need to be able to adjust accordingly and raise our level, not lower it,” said Morrison. “We are trying not to look too far ahead.”
To help prepare for such a special event, the team welcomed eight recruits and transfers into the fold. One of them was Brett Springer, a veteran of the men’s program. Springer repped the green and gold for three seasons, finding the back of the net 36 times.
“When we look at Brett and all the other recruits we have, it improves our overall team. It just helps so much, especially for Brett’s sake. He was the leading scorer for his MVP season,” said Oakes.
