NOVEMBER
      8,
      2006
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      e
      15
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Josh
      Lewis
     
     
      Sports
      Editor
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      UPEI
      Panthers’
      season
      ended
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Saturday
      in
      a
      4-0
      loss
      to
      host
      UNB
      in
      >
     
    
   
   
    
     
      semifinal
      action
      at
      the
      AUS
      men’s
     
     
      soccer
      championships.
     
    

    
     
      Eric
      Cormier
      scored
      two
      goals
     
     
      to
      lead
      the
      third-ranked
      Varsity
      Reds
     
     
      over
      the
      Panthers,
      who
      had
      earned
      a
     
     
      bye
      to
      the
      semis
      by
      virtue
      of
      their
     
     
      second-place
      finish.
      Joe
      Crossland
      and
     
     
      Tieren
      Murphy
      added
      goals
      for
      UNB.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘The
      Panthers
      were
      outraged
      at
      the:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      muddy
      field
      conditions
      at
      UNB’s
     
     
      Chapman
      Field.
      Captain
      Matt
     
     
      Thomson
      called
      it
      “beyond
      extreme.”
     
     
      “We
      did
      the
      best
      we
      could
      with
     
     
      what
      we
      were
      dealt.
      You
      couldn’t
     
     
      kick,
      couldn’t
      run,
      couldn’t
      dribble.”
     
     
      Coach
      Lewis
      Page
      said
      the
      field
      was
     
     
      “all
      torn
      up”
      and
      noted
      that
      UNB
      had
     
     
      played
      on
      the
      field
      the
      day
      before
     
     
      against
      Memorial
      and
      “were
      used
      to
     
     
      ie
      eae
     
     
      Murphy
      opened
      the
      scoring
      for
     
     
      the
      Reds
      in
      the
      first
      half,
      and
      the
      score
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SPORTS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      remained
      1-0
      until
      the
      closing
      minutes,
     
     
      when
      the
      floodgates
      opened
      for
      UNB.
     
     
      “The
      score
      doesn’t
      reflect
      how
     
    
   
   
    
     
      we
      played,”
      said
      Thomson.
      “We
      were
     
    
   
   
    
     
      desperate
      and
      at
      one
      point
      we
      had
      five
     
     
      strikers
      up,
      which
      left
      us
      vulnerable
     
     
      on
      the
      back
      end
      and
      they
      buried
      three
     
     
      late.”
     
    

    
     
      “Our
      guys
      were
      great,”
      added
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page.
      “We
      fought
      to
      the
      end
      and
      tried
      |
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      to
      win
      right
      up
      to
      the
      last
      minute.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      loss
      closes
      the
      book
      on
      a
     
     
      season
      which
      saw
      the
      Panthers
      finish
     
     
      8-3-2,
      good
      for
      second
      in
      the
      AUS,
      in
     
     
      a
      year
      when
      many
      expected
      them
      to
     
     
      take
      a
      step
      backward
      after
      the
      loss
      of
     
     
      CIS
      MVP
      Ryan
      Anstey.
     
    

    
     
      It
      also
      marked
      the
      final
      game
      of
     
     
      Thomson’s
      illustrious
      AUS
      career.
     
     
      “T
      have
      to
      be
      proud,”
      he
      said.
      “Nobody
     
     
      expected
      us
      to
      be
      in
      the
      semifinal
      or
     
     
      in
      second
      place
      to
      begin
      with,
      so
      I
      have
     
     
      to
      be
      proud
      of
      our
      effort.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      the
      pic
      is
      Panthers
      captain
      Matt
      Thomson
      battling
      for
      possession...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Panthers
      men
      ousted
      in
      AUS
      semis
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Photo:
      File
      Photo
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      McNeill
      named
      interim
     
    
   
   
    
     
      basketball
      coach
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Josh
      Lewis
     
     
      Sports
      Editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      After
      the
      unexpected
      resignation
      of
     
     
      Reagh
      Vidito,
      the
      UPEI
      Panthers
     
    
   
   
    
     
      women’s
      basketball
      team
      has
      brought
     
    
   
   
    
     
      back
      former
      coach
      Dave
      MacNeill
      on
     
     
      an
      interim
      basis.
     
     
      MacNeill,
      who
      coached
      the
     
     
      Panthers
      for
      10
      years
      between
      1976
     
     
      and
      1993,
      hopes
      his
      experience
      will
     
     
      help
      to
      stabilize
      the
      team.
     
     
      “T
      don’t
      know
      what
      happened
     
     
      (with
      Vidito),
      but
      they
      didn’t
      have
      a
     
     
      coach.
      I
      thought
      someone
      who
      was
     
     
      involved
      before
      might
      make
      the
     
     
      transition
      better
      than
      someone
      who
     
     
      h
      a
      d
      n
      :
      t
      .
     
     
      Assistant
      coaches
      Chris
      Annett
     
     
      and
      Brian
      Chambers,
      who
      both
     
     
      resigned
      two
      weeks
      ago,
      have
      returned
     
     
      to
      the
      staff
      at
      MacNeill’s
      request.
     
     
      -“T
      got
      two
      really
      old
      guys
      to
     
     
      come
      back,
      so
      that
      makes
      it
      easier,”
     
     
      joked
      the
      new
      coach.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      For
      Annett
      and
      Chambers,
      the
      decision
     
     
      was
      a
      no-brainer.
     
    

    
     
      “When
      Dave
      phoned
      and
      said
     
     
      there
      was
      a
      place
      for
      me,
      I
      jumped,”
     
     
      said
      Annett.
      “We
      go
      back
      to
      1976
     
     
      when
      we
      coached
      here.
      We
      enjoyed
      it
     
    
   
   
    
     
      then
      and
      we’re
      prepared
      to
      have.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      another
      enjoyable
      experience.”
     
     
      Chambers
      had
      a_
      similar
     
     
      reaction.
     
     
      “See
      those
      banners?
      We
      were
      coaching
     
     
      then.
      Dave
      called
      and
      it
      was
      an
      easy
     
     
      answer.
      We’ve
      done
      it
      before
      and
      we
     
     
      both
      liked
      the
      challenge.”
     
     
      UPEI
      athletics
      director
      Ron
     
     
      Annear
      is
      pleased
      to
      have
      MacNeill
     
     
      back
      in
      the
      program
      so
      quickly.
     
     
      “With
      the
      change
      completed,
     
     
      the
      team
      will
      now
      be
      able
      to
      restart
     
     
      and
      hopefully
      make
      strides
      in
      a
      short
     
     
      period
      of
      time.
      Dave
      provides
      stability
     
     
      for
      the
      program
      and
      allows
      my
      focus
     
     
      to
      turn
      to
      finding
      a
      coach
      for
      next
     
    
   
   
    
     
      y
      e
      a
      r
      :
      .
     
    

    
     
      Vidito
      said
      that
      the
      resignations
     
     
      were
      mainly
      due
      to
      his
      lack
      of
      time
     
     
      and
      the
      resulting
      miscommunications
     
     
      with
      his
      assistants.
      Despite
      his
      deep
     
     
      involvement
      with
      the
      2009
      Canada
     
     
      Games,
      MacNeill
      says
      that
      won’t
      be
     
     
      an
      issue
      because
      the
      trio
      go
      back
      a
      long
     
     
      w
      a
      y
      :
     
    

    
     
      “We
      won't
      have
      any
      troubles.
      We
     
    
   
   
    
     
      communicate
      well
      and
      love
      the
      game.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      MacNeill
      says
      the
      sidekicks
      will
      be
     
     
      invaluable
      as
      he
      becomes
      accustomed
     
     
      to
      the
      program.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      don’t
      know
      these
      names,
      the
     
     
      offense,
      the
      defense.
      Without
      these
     
     
      guys
      we'd
      be
      in
      trouble
      and
      the
      season
     
     
      would
      be
      half
      over.
      We
      still
      have
      a
      pile
     
     
      of
      work
      to
      do.
      Hopefully
      we
      can
      get
     
     
      them
      excited
      and
      working
      hard.
      It’d
     
     
      be
      naive
      to
      think
      it’ll
      be
      easy.
      But
      with
     
     
      hard
      work
      you
      can
      accomplish
      a
      lot.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sports,
      News
      from
      around
     
     
      Charlottetown
      and
      your
      Campus
     
     
      all
      in
      one
      paper.
     
     
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      do
      we
      do
      it?
     
    
   
   
    
     
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