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Men's Soccer

2009 Season Summary

2009 Summary

The 2009 men’s soccer season began with high expectations from both fans and coaches. After a rebuilding year in 2008, the Sea~Hawks now older and wiser were expected to compete for an AUS playoff berth. Led by returning head coach Scott Betts, and assistant coach Mike Power, the young but talented Sea~Hawks squad had something to prove.

The season began with many of the Sea~Hawks top players on the sidelines due to injuries. Keeper and 2007 team MVP Tyler Putt, 2008 leading scorer Aaron Anstey, Zach Hynes, Jake Warren, Chris Bulger, Colin Baker, and Andrew Stanford were all injured to begin the season with Anstey, Warren and Stanford never recovering enough to see action during the short AUS season. With all the injuries the Sea~Hawks opened their season on the road travelling with 9 out of 14 players who were not on last year’s roster. Despite the new faces, the Sea~Hawks picked up their first and only victory of the season on opening weekend against the Université de Moncton in a 2-1 decision.

As the season progressed and the roster became more stable, the Sea~Hawks improved their play but were never able to tally another win. The highlight of the season came in the team’s second last game when fourth year forward Zach Hynes took it upon himself and scored three goals in eleven minutes, along with a helper from rookie Steven DeLong to tie the X-Men with only two minutes remaining in the game. Other highlights of the season include the play of team captain Ryan Yetman. Yetman’s ability to lead by example and play with heart earned him multiple player of the game honors, as well as a on spot on the AUS Second Team of All-Stars.

Unfortunately for Betts and his team it was not the season they had hoped for. Betts was continuously forced to juggle the line-up due to injuries at all positions and players who were unable to commit to the program. With the AUS season so short, Memorial was not able to find a consistent starting line-up until the final weeks of the season causing them to fall short of preseason playoff expectations. Due to the constant roster turnover, the Sea~Hawks were unable to match the chemistry or consistency of other competitive AUS teams, ultimately leading to the team’s disappointing last place AUS finish, and a record of 1-8-4.

Although it was a tough season, the Sea~Hawks are looking to their future and the 2010 season where all players from the 2009 roster remain eligible with the exception of defender Collin Power. Power played in all of the Sea~Hawks games in ’09 and provided leadership along with top notch defensive talent that will be missed. Rookies Scott Woodfine, Matthew Hamlyn, Matthew Breen, and Steven DeLong who was second in team scoring with three goals, have all gained valuable experience playing in the AUS and will be important players next season. Add in skilled defenders Chris Pope and Jeff Slaney, along with a healthy Warren, Stanford, and Anstey and the Sea~Hawks have a bright future ahead of them.

2009 Preview