In October 2023, the St. Thomas University men’s soccer team played in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) semifinals in Halifax, N.S., coming into the game with a 10-0-2 record during the regular season. The Tommies suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics, a team that they narrowly defeated 1-0 on two occasions during the regular season.
After three months of digesting the bittersweet defeat, the team is back on the soccer field, albeit indoors.
Beginning on Jan. 11, the team has been partaking in an off-season winter league at the BMO Center at UNB.
The Tommies are one of the four teams in the winter league, including Picaroons, a club team from the city of Fredericton, and two teams from the UNB REDS. The Tommies lace up every Thursday night and are currently in the regular season, where they will play nine total games, three against each team. Then, after the regular season, a two-game playoff takes place where the first-place team faces the last team and the second-place team faces the third-place team.
Finals will take place on April 4.
During the 2023 season, STU bolstered a roster with eight rookies and fourteen returnees. One of those newcomers is Kiran Holmann Pritchard. Originally from Powell River, B.C., Holmann Pritchard was initially surprised about the winter league being so competitive despite happening during the off-season.
“The level is extremely high and the calibre of soccer that we’re playing, even in the off-season, is really, really high,” said Holmann Pritchard. “Playing against UNB and Picaroons, really good quality players, good quality opposition week in and week out, has been really good for my development and also the development of my team.”
Usually, the STU men’s soccer team holds their practices and plays their home games outside at the Grant Harvey turf field. However, in the off-season, the team uses the dome at the BMO Centre for practices and games. This change of scenery creates differences that the team must quickly adjust to.
The field size and substitution rules are just some of the adaptations, said Holmann Pritchard.
“The pace is higher and we play a different formation when we are playing in our winter league games,” he said.
Training in the same spot where the games are being played is helping the adjustment, he added.
Meanwhile, Adam Loewen, a third-year student at UNB and a midfielder for the Tommies, is competing in his third career winter league competition.
“It’s awesome how we have two well-established teams on the same hill,” said Loewen. “These games are competitive, a chance for us to get better, a chance for UNB to get better and just have some fun.”
For Loewen, his winter league story is unique. During the past two seasons, the Maine native played with UNB. However, in the 2024 edition of winter league, Loewen is suiting up for the Tommies and playing against some of the players he used to play with.
“A difference that I saw was, we really try to take [winter league] as seriously as possible, treating these like these are regular games,” said Loewen. “I think it’s a little bit more relaxed on the UNB side. Just kind of aimed at more having fun.”
Both Loewen and Holmann Pritchard are using the league to help develop minute skills of their games, which they feel can translate into on-field success next season, which is a big year for the Tommies.
Next November, St. Thomas is set to host the 2024 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association men’s soccer nationals, which is undoubtedly one of the marquee events on the athletics calendar.
“For me, it’s getting lots and lots and touches on the ball and consistently being with the team in a high-tempo training environment,” said Holmann Pritchard.
He is aiming to build chemistry with the team, work on position-specific skills as a winger and prepare for nationals next year.
“This is a privilege that not all soccer programs have,” said Holmann Pritchard. “The season is so short at university and so the offseason programming is very important for the outcome of how your next season is going to go.”
