18 Panther’s season ends with 3-0 playoff loss

by LESLIE WALKER hurt the team,

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Production Editor

After finishing the regular season with a 10-2-1 record, the men’s soccer season ended with a loss in the second round of the playoffs.

UPEI earned a bye in the first round because it finished first in the Atlantic University Athletic Association (AUAA) Eastern Division.

On November 6, the team traveled to Dalhousie Uni- versity to face Saint Mary’s University (SMU) in the semi- final game. SMU scored twice in the first half, then once more in the final twenty minutes of the game. The 3-0 loss eliminated the Panthers from further post-season play.

“I thought we played well and worked hard,” third- year Danny Gordon said. “We let up for awhile and they capitalized on their chances.”

Ryan O’Connell, fourth- year, was pulled down on a breaka- way, which mentally

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Tommy Craig, second-year, said. Then with fifteen minutes left in the game, O’Connell was red carded for kicking an oppo- nent. The Panthers were forced to play with only ten players.

SMU also had an advantage be- cause its home field is turf, like Dalhousie’s.

McMurrer was named first team All-Canadian.

This was the first time that the men’s soccer team has ever won ten games in a regular season. It never lost a game against any team in its’ division. Goal keepers John Andrew Rousseau, first-year, and Shane Etchegary, fourth- year, teamed up for a total of nine

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Craig said, “They had a good team, they played better than we did.”

Despite this loss, UPEI reached several milestones this year.

Fourth-year players Brodie McMurrer, Goran Rudic, and O’Connell were chosen for the All- Conference AUAA All-Star team and

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shutouts.

The team is made up mostly of Islanders. Fourteen of the sixteen play- ers are from the Island, Craig said. Everyone that started the semi- final game was from PET.

“It was a good season, but as a team, we didn’t have to fight like last

year. Everyone was .

coming to get us because we were the top team,” Gordon said. “We didn’t reach our full poten- tial. We just played well enough to win. The only two games that we dominated were the first and last games of the season.”

Only three teams kept the Panthers from having a perfect regular season.

Saint Mary's and Dalhousie each dealt the team one loss, while UPEI tied St. Francis Xavier once.

Next year, the Panthers hope to remain competitive

since only McMurrer and John

Michael Murphy are graduating. Craig and Gordon said that with more recruiting and keeping competi- tive, they hope to make the playoffs again.

“We had good team chemistry,” Gordon said.

“We're all close friends on and off the field. It’s disap- pointing that we didn’t win another AUAA champion- ship, but that’s the way things happen.” END

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by LESLIE WALKER 4:4 not score. The

Production Editor

The Panthers Hockey team lost two games this past weekend bringing their record to 0-9.

On Friday UPEI was dealt a 4- 3 loss by the Moncton Aigles Bleu. First-year Brandon Coalter, second-year Scott Cameron and fourth-year Steve LeCoure scored the three Panther goals. Dave Mitchell recorded the loss in goal.

University of New Brunswick (UNB) traveled to Charlottetown Sunday, beating the Panthers, 3-2. UPEI was leading © 2-1 in the first two periods. The Redmen came back in the third to win the game. Scoring for UPEI were Chad Ryan, first- year and Andrew Morrison, second- year. Mitchell was the losing goalie.

During the November 5 game against Dalhousie, a referee made an incorrect call. After the game ended ina tie, the teams entered into a penalty shoot out. Five players from each side shot, but

game went to individual shots. After several - rounds Dalhousie scored and was awarded the vic- tory. UPEI, as the home team, should have had the oppor- tunity to take the last shot to tie. The officials refused to let the Panthers take the shot. It was a call so bla- tantly wrong that the Dalhousie players and coaches were arguing the Panthers case.

The issue went to review. Recently the league announced its decision. When the Panthers play at Dalhousie on February 5, they will be allowed one more penalty shot at the end of the game. If they score, the shoot out will continue. If not, Dalhousie wins the game.

Nick Chatham, first-year said, “It’s a good decision, but I don’t think that it should have been an issue. The refs should have made the right call to begin with. It makes the league look bad.” END