Capers defeat Reds 2-1 in AUS men’s soccer action

By Corey LeBlanc 

Sydney, NS, In a battle of the top two teams in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) men's soccer standings, the Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers (9-0-2) – ranked second in the U SPORTS top-10 – scored a gutsy 2-1 victory over the visiting UNB Reds (7-2-2) on Thursday evening at Ness Timmons Field. 

First-year CBU midfielder Jakub Parizek (Ceske Budejovice, Czechia) – off a free-kick pass from Ze Cunha (Cascais, Portugal) – soared for an acrobatic header that he deposited top shelf over the outstretched arm of UNB goalkeeper Louis-Charles Vaillancourt (Sherbrooke, QC) in the 80th minute. 

The Capers played the bulk of the scrappy match with only 10 players; Max Piepgrass (Calgary, AB) received a pair of yellow cards early in the first half, which led to a red and his ejection. 

In the first half, the Capers came out flying, with the home side rewarded for their effort with an early lead. In the second minute, Kairo Coore took a lead pass from captain Jamie Watson and bested Vaillancourt with a short-side strike. 

In the seventh minute, the Reds garnered their first quality chance to tie the contest, but Daniel Clarke (Milton Keynes, England) smothered a shot attempt from Keji Adeniyi (London, England) in close quarters. 

Clarke maintained the shutout – in the 13th minute – when he turned aside a shot from Alex Oprea (Winnipeg, MB). 

A short time later, Piepgrass was sent to the showers. From that point, the Reds patiently looked for openings, while the Capers showed their stoutness defensively. 

In the 32nd minute, off a long entry pass from Watson, Parizek took a diving header in the 18-yard box, but – despite the all-out effort – the shot trickled wide and out of bounds. 

A short time later, Clarke made another sharp stop – thwarting Luke Rosettani (Kanata, ON) on a right-footed blast. 

In the 42nd minute, the Reds notched the equalizer on a top-notch effort from Adeniyi, who received a pass just outside the box, shook off Ze Cunha, who was defending for the Capers, and blasted a left-footed shot under the crossbar and over the outstretched arm of Clarke. 

The sides were deadlocked 1-1 at halftime. 

In the tightly-played second half, the best scoring opportunity for the Reds came in the 73rd minute, when Rosettani scalded a shot from just outside the 18-yard box that beat Clarke, but not the right goalpost. 

A couple of minutes later, off a corner-kick chance, Clarke – the Subway player of the game – made a sparkling stop on UNB sophomore striker Stefano D'Ambrogio (Toronto, ON). 

After Parizek gave the Capers the lead, the best Reds' scoring chance in the final minutes came off the right foot of Adeniyi, who showed his athleticism by striking an eye-high ball with his right foot, off a corner kick from his teammate, but it sailed over the crossbar behind Clarke. 

Clarke made 10 saves to help backstop a stellar defensive effort from the short-handed Capers. 

Both teams will return to action on Friday, Oct. 28, when the Capers welcome the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus, while the Reds travel stop in Antigonish to face the STFX X-Men. 

Kick-off for each match is 7:15 p.m.