CTOBER 12, 2006

THE CADRE @ 15

SPORTS

UPEI Men’s Rugby Breakdown

Kent Aitken

UPEI men’s rugby has had a turbulent couple weeks.

Two weekends ago was a double header for both divisions against Acadia and SMU. Division 1 tied Acadia 22-22 and couldn’t catch a break against a strong SMU team, losing 25-3.

The Division 2 team lost both games, 19-7 and 20-13 respectively. Last weekend Division 1 squeezed out a 19-17 victory over St.F.X. in Antigonish, and the Division 2 team stomped Nova Scotia Agricultural College _ 24-5 Saturday and got edged out 33-22 by a last minute CBU try Sunday.

The teams are taking Thanksgiving weekend off and will be away playing their last games before playoffs October 15 against King’s College (division 2) and Acadia (division 1).

Centre Justin Ellis drives into SMU defence.

Josh Lewis Sports Editor

The UPEI Panthers men’s and women’s soccer squads continue to play well as the season approaches the halfway mark. Both teams enjoyed recent wins over St.FX and Moncton, as well as a loss to league powerhouse Cape Breton.

The men and women each played their sixth game of the year Sept. 30 in Moncton against the struggling Blue Eagles, after blowing them out to begin the season. The men, led by player of the game Paul Craig, picked up an important four points by defeating the Blue Eagles 3-1. Rob Manning and captain Matt Thomson also scored for the visitors, while Kevin Lavigne provided the lone goal for Moncton.

The women Panthers, meanwhile, blanked the Blue Eagles for the Second time this season with a 1-0

victory worth four points. Janelle Blanchard provided the offense, while Allison Frizzell was named player of the game. Ashley Caulier and Liz McPhail were both yellow- carded.

The Panthers hosted Cape Breton and St.FX the previous weekend, with mixed results. Saturday, UPEI found itself unable. to muster any offense, with the men shut out 4-0 and the women losing 1-0.

Kwame Osei scored two goals for

_ the Cape Breton men, with Matthew

Wilkins and Paul Slaney adding goals. Tensions were high throughout the game and boiled over with seven bookings being handed out — four yellow cards for CBU and three bookings for UPEI, including a red card to midfielder Jarrod Faria. Craig was UPEI player of the game.

The women, meanwhile, suffered their first loss of the season in a

tightly contested match that remained tied until the 87" minute when Kristina Weatherbie buried the ball behind Panthers keeper Leslie Bradshaw. Players of the game were Bobbi Hoffman from Cape Breton and Bradshaw for the Panthers.

The following day saw much better results for both Panther squads, with the men defeating the X-Men 1-0 and the women triumphing 2-0.

Manning provided all the offense the men would need early in the second half with a header past X goalie Mark Krocko. The Panthers held on for the victory, with keeper Tim Kalinowski earning the shutout and player of the game.

McPhail and Blanchard scored about 20 seconds apart in minute 77 to lead the women Panthers to the 2-0 win. The X-Women nearly got back

in the game six minutes later, but had their goal disallowed on an

_ Soccer Panthers keep rolling

offside play. McPhail was named player of the game for the Panthers.

As the AUS season reaches the halfway point, both Panther squads sit in the middle of the pack. The women currently hold fifth place in the AUS with a record of 4-1-1 and 11 points. They sit two points back of Memorial and three back of UNB, with a game in hand on each. The Panthers also have the second highest goal differential in the conference, with 15 goals scored and only two allowed.

The men, meanwhile, are tied with Mount Allison for sixth in the AUS with a record of 4-2-0 and 10 points. They sit two points back of Saint Mary’s and four back of both UNB and Memorial, with a game in hand on those two.

Both teams take on UNB tonight in Fredericton before visiting Dalhousie and Saint Mary’s on the weekend.