After nearly two years away on account of COVID-19, ACAA competition is finally set to resume
Training camps are complete, and the countdown has gone from months to weeks to hours in anticipation of the opening 90 minutes of the 2021-22 ACAA men's soccer season, and all seven teams are ready to kick things off in style.
The Holland College Hurricanes were nothing short of a dynasty in the 2010s, capturing eight of the last nine ACAA championships including the last six, with a CCAA silver medal in 2011 and a bronze in 2017.
Jonathan Vos returns for his 13th year (12th season) on the Hurricanes sideline, and he has a few key building blocks by his side including returning defender Dan Martell, rookie midfielder Kazuya Iwasaki, and striker Mohammad Al Haj Ali, who comes over from the UNB Reds.
"We're excited to hit the ground running," Vos said. "It will need to be a full team effort for success this year. The players are looking forward to that first game."
Meanwhile, the Mount St. Vincent University Mystics, the last team other than the Hurricanes to capture an ACAA banner in 2013, look to be a formidable threat once more as five-year Mystic Mark Harnish is back on the sidelines. Harnish will have strong attacking options with winger Steve Belinga coming from Farias Soccer Academy and rookie striker Amath Bojang coming in from Halifax West High School, with two-time ACAA Keeper of the Year Keith Abraham back in goal.
"After a long hiatus, our group is excited to get back to ACAA competition," Harnish said. "After a preseason of hard work, the players are geared up to get the ball rolling."
Staying in Halifax, the University of King's College Blue Devils are looking to get back in the hunt with the ACAA Championship in their own backyard, as their last conference medal was a silver in 2016. Jamie McGinnis is back for his fifth season as the team's head coach, and he will rely on captain Cash Layden on the back end, with keeper Rylan Logan standing as the last line of defense. Up front, McGinnis will look to Kian Bowie from Halifax County United and Bayview High as one of his primary options.
"King's Men's Soccer is poised to come out of gates strong this fall, having gone the better part of two years without an ACAA regular season," McGinnis said. "We've returned a core contingency of veteran players from our last campaign, who have been joined by two classes of talented and eager recruits. In a year where we host playoffs, our players are keen to get back on the field after a lengthy and productive hiatus."
Rounding out the Nova Scotia contingent, the Dalhousie AC Rams are in the process of building their program back up, with their last championship coming in 1972, when they were known as Nova Scotia Agricultural College. In his fifth season as the team's head coach, Craig MacEachern will have plenty of international options, headlined by third-year Malian striker Moh Camara and third-year Dutch midfielder Tim Raamsteeboers, while also bringing in experience with second-year defender Alex Cornel from Kemptville, Ont.
"We expect to be competitive in every game through a solid mix of hard work, rigid defending and confidence on the ball," MacEachern said. "We have a solid core of returning and incoming players ready to compete for every minute on the field, and are looking forward to the challenge the ACAA presents."
In New Brunswick, the UNB-Saint John Seawolves came close to dethroning the Hurricanes in 2019, but first-year head coach PJ Ward will field a younger side in the ACAA's return.
After four years in Fredericton wearing the UNB red, Quispamsis native and central midfielder Nick Ellingwood will add Seawolves blue to his kit for his final year of eligibility, with winger Thomas Barbara also coming in to provide veteran leadership. Meanwhile, rookies Griffin Cassidy, Ryan Johnson and Lucas McDonald will all have opportunities to play key roles in Saint John.
"I believe this team has the ability and skill to compete with anyone in this league," Ward said. "They will need to stay mentally focused as a team and help each other to achieve a chance at winning this league. We are a young team, and there are a lot of first year players in this squad."
After representing the ACAA at the 2018 CCAA Men's Soccer National Championship hosted by Holland College, the St. Thomas University Tommies will sport a different look this season, with just five players returning. In his sixth season on the Tommies sideline, head coach John-Ryan Morrison will have Bamberg, Ont. native Brett Springer returning after a nine-goal rookie season in 2019, while Fredericton native Ryan MacKinnon will help command the back line, along with Chidubem Nkoloagau.
"Our goal is the same every year; be the top team in the ACAA inside the classroom and on the pitch," Morrison said.
Heading down to Moncton, the Crandall University Chargers will look to continue building back up, as second-year head coach Damian Dyke will look to St. Thomas transfer Ethan Druart to help build things from the back line along with Truro native Riley Fillmore, while Kingston, Ont. native Jonathan Albinet with be relied upon in the midfield.
"We have a lot of young players this year as we continue rebuilding our program," Dyke said. "We are looking to improve each week and create a solid foundation for future success."
New Brunswick plays host to the entire opening weekend, beginning Saturday with Crandall welcoming Mount St. Vincent at 3:15 p.m., with 4:15 p.m. kickoffs scheduled between UNB-Saint John and Holland College, as well as St. Thomas and Dalhousie AC. Sunday's slate has the Rams travelling to Saint John to battle the Seawolves at 1:15 p.m., with the Tommies and Hurricanes kicking off at 2:15 p.m. in Fredericton, followed by the Blue Devils and Chargers at 3:15 p.m. in Moncton.