2020 AUS fall sports schedules released

(HALIFAX, N.S.) Atlantic University Sport released the 2020 fall sports schedules today, including women's rugby, men's football, men's and women's soccer as well as men's and women's cross country. Hosts for the 2020 fall championships were also confirmed.

Rugby

The 2020 AUS women's rugby regular season will kick off with two games on opening day Saturday, Sept. 12 at 2 p.m. The Acadia Axewomen will host the Saint Mary's Huskies in Wolfville, N.S, while the UPEI Panthers host the defending AUS champion StFX X-Women in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

The X-Women will host the Huskies in their home opener the following week, Saturday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m.

The Huskies home opener will take place Saturday, Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. They will play host to the Panthers.

The 2020 Subway AUS Rugby Championship will once again feature a three-team playoff format. The team that finishes third in the regular season standings will visit the second-place team in Week 7, with the winner moving on to visit the first-place team the following week in the championship final game.

The 2020 U SPORTS women's rugby championship is being hosted Nov. 4 to 8 by Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. 

Football

Each of the conference's five teams will play eight regular season games over the course of a 10-week schedule.

The Bishop's Gaiters joined the Atlantic conference football league beginning in the 2017 season. This marked the first time since 1990 that a new team had entered the AUS football league.

The regular season will once again kick off in August, with opening day set for Saturday, August 29.

The defending AUS champion Acadia Axemen will play host to the Saint Mary's Huskies in Wolfville, N.S. at 2 p.m. ADT. The 2019 AUS finalist Bishop's Gaiters will host the StFX X-Men in Lennoxville, Que. at 2 p.m. EDT. 

Saint Mary's and StFX will host their respective home openers the following weekend. The Huskies will host the Gaiters on Friday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. ADT in Halifax, N.S. The X-Men will host the Mount Allison Mounties Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. ADT in Antigonish, N.S.

The Mounties will host Saint Mary's in their home opener Saturday, Sept. 12 at 2 p.m. ADT.

Regular season play will wrap up with two games on Saturday, Oct. 31. StFX will host Acadia at 2 p.m. ADT, while Mount Allison hosts Bishop's at 3 p.m. ADT.    

AUS playoffs are set to begin the following weekend when the second-seeded team hosts the third-seeded team Saturday, Nov. 7 in the playoff semifinal.

The winner will advance to the 2020 Subway AUS Loney Bowl which will be played Saturday, Nov. 14 and hosted by the top-seeded team.

The AUS champion will then move on to visit the OUA conference champion in the 2020 U SPORTS Mitchell Bowl Saturday Nov. 21.   

The Mitchell Bowl and Uteck Bowl winners will advance to play each other in the 56^th Vanier Cup on Saturday, Nov. 28. The stadium and host city have yet to be announced.

Soccer

All 10 AUS men's and women's soccer teams will see action on opening weekend Sept. 11 to 13. 

The defending AUS champion Cape Breton Capers will open their seasons at home as they play host to the Saint Mary's Huskies Saturday, Sept. 12 at 1 and 3:15 p.m.

The Capers men's team earned U SPORTS bronze at last season's national championships. 

This season's Subway AUS Soccer Championships will once again be hosted by Cape Breton University in Sydney, N.S. This marks the third time the men's and women's championships will be hosted jointly. They will take place Nov. 5 to 8.

Cape Breton University will host the U SPORTS women's soccer championship Nov. 12 to 15 in Sydney, N.S., while Carleton University plays host to the men's national championship in Ottawa, Ont.

Cross Country

The men's and women's cross country teams will open up their season with the StFX Invitational Meet Saturday, Sept. 19 in Antigonish, N.S.

Acadia will host the second meet Saturday, Oct. 3 in Wolfville, N.S.,

The third and final invitational meet will be co-hosted by UNB/St. Thomas in Fredericton, N.B. on Saturday, Oct. 17.

Université de Moncton will play host this season to the Subway AUS Cross Country Championships Oct. 31 in Moncton, N.B. 

The 2020 U SPORTS Cross Country Championships will be hosted Saturday, Nov. 14 by Université Laval in Quebec City, Que.

Complete 2020 rugby, football, soccer and cross country schedules are now available at the following links:

- Football
- Rugby
- Women's Soccer
- Men's Soccer
- Women's Cross Country
- Men's Cross Country

The 2020-21 winter sports schedules will be announced at a later date.

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