On Oct. 27, the St. Thomas University’s men’s soccer team played in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) Men’s Soccer finals against the University of Kings College (UKC) Blue Devils.
STU defeated UKC 1-0, capturing the team’s second ACAA soccer championship in five years. The victory was also a chance for the team to erase defeats over the past couple of years.
“If I’m being honest, I blacked out. I don’t remember any of it,” said Gray Cyr, fourth-year midfielder, on what went through his head after he scored his goal to help the Tommies win the title. “All I remember is yelling at Jovahn to pass the ball and after that, I picked my head up and I saw Oakes and he was screaming at me and everybody else had their arms in the air and screaming.”
Josh Oakes is a fourth-year center midfielder and the team captain. He was in his rookie season the last time the team took home the ACAA championship.
According to Oakes, the team was much younger, as the squad was mostly first-year players. There wasn’t much pressure put on the team to succeed, compared to the past couple of years.
“Winning with this group of guys is probably the most special thing you can do, because we’ve all felt the feeling of defeat last year,” said Oakes. “So, to feel that excitement, that joy with them one last time, it’s probably a feeling that I’ll never forget.”
Oakes also credited Cyr for helping the Tommies take home the win. He said he is “proud” of his teammate for the work he puts into the squad every day
Cyr and Oakes have been teammates during their entire time with the Tommies.
“He scores his goals and it just shows how much hard work he puts in the team.”
The recent championship win was a bit sweeter for Chidubem Nkoalagu, a fifth-year fullback.
Although Nkoalagu won the championship with the team four years ago, he suited up for the Tommies when the squad lost in the finals two years ago in penalties against Holland College. The loss was a tough pill to swallow.
As a result, winning the championship after experiencing heartbreak and anguish over the past two seasons was something that made the victory extra special.
“I think that pressure had been on us for three years now, it was almost like we were that team who was good in the regular season but couldn’t get it done in the playoffs, just like the Maple Leafs. So it felt that much sweeter after all the adversity, the hardships we’d gone through, that we finally won,” said Nkoalagu.
Something else that Nkoalagu found exciting around the title win was the reaction of the team, saying it was “something that words can’t describe.”
“It was like celebrating with your family. Everyone was happy. I think it was just a surreal moment, for sure and I think that that moment cannot be replicated.”
Despite the ACAA season being over, there is still more work for the team to complete. The team is slated to host the 2024 Canadian Collegiate Athletics Association Men’s Soccer Nationals from Nov. 6 to Nov. 9 at Grant Harvey Field.
The Tommies will play the Langara Falcons of Vancouver, B.C. in the quarterfinals.
“I think we’ve been good at establishing a plan and executing it very well this season. We start every game with a plan, intending to follow the plan for the game. That’s what made us win the game against MSU and UKC. We just respect the plan, do it from the beginning,” said Samuel Choiniere, the fullback from St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec.
“[After] watching a couple of games of Langara, we are already starting to identify strengths and weaknesses. So, it’s going to be important to, as I said, stick to our plan and try to exploit them when they have weaknesses.”
John-Ryan Morrison, head coach of the STU Men’s Soccer Team, echoed much of the same sentiments as Choiniere, in that there is still much work to be done by the team before the end of the season. He is in his final year with the club.
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“We’re not going to change our prep going into nationals, treat it as any other game, just on a bigger stage against great competition,” he said.
“A win in front of our home field at nationals next week would be a great way to end the year.”
