AUS Men's Soccer Awards and All-Stars

AUS Men's Soccer Awards and All-Stars Announced
StFX's Marousek named Player of the Year 

Courtesy Atlantic University Sport

November 4, 2010 (HALIFAX, NS) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2010 men's soccer all-stars and major award winners as selected by the conference's ten head coaches following regular season play. Fourth-year StFX midfielder Michael Marousek was named the Atlantic University Sport most valuable player, Thursday night.

Other AUS major award winners announced during the awards banquet hosted by the Université de Moncton in Moncton, N.B., were Cape Breton's Ian Greedy of Lower Sackville, N.S., who was named rookie of the year; Memorial's Andre Le of St. John's, N.L., who received the Student-Athlete Community Service Award; and StFX's Graham Kennedy, who was named the AUS coach of the year.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Michael Marousek, StFX

Michael Marousek, a fourth year midfielder with the CIS No. 1-ranked StFX X-Men, is the 2010 Atlantic University Sport men's soccer Player of the Year.

Named an AUS all-star for the fourth time in as many years, Marousek led the X-Men in scoring and finished third overall in the Atlantic conference with 19 points (8 goals and 3 assists).

He tied for third overall in the league in goals scored and led the conference in game-winning goals with five this season.

This year, Michael, a native of Prague, Czech Republic, became StFX's all-time career leader in goals scored with 31 tallies over the past four seasons. He currently sits 14th overall in the AUS record book in that category. Michael helped lead the StFX offensive attack that saw the undefeated first place team score a league-best 31 goals this season.

"Michael has been one of the top performers in the AUS for the past four seasons, scoring more goals in that period of time than any other player," said StFX head coach Graham Kennedy. "He moved from his traditional striker role to a central midfield role in 2010 and is still a consistent scoring threat as well as an excellent playmaker."

The last StFX player to be named the conference Player of the Year was Ian Bilek in 1997. Michael will represent the Atlantic conference as the league's nominee for the Joe Johnson Memorial Trophy as the CIS Player of the Year. UPEI's Ryan Anstey (2005) and SMU's Mesut Mert (2003 and 2001) are the most recent Atlantic University Sport players to win the national award.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Ian Greedy, Cape Breton

Greedy, a 5-foot-11 striker from Lower Sackville, N.S., led the AUS in scoring this season with 11 goals in 13 games.

His 11 markers in 2010 were also the most of any freshman in Canadian Interuniversity Sport and he was recognized as the Cape Breton University Athlete of the Week on three separate occasions throughout the season.

Ian, who was also named a first team all-star this year, is the fourth Capers player to lead the Atlantic conference in scoring in the past five seasons. Kwame Osei previously led the league in scoring both in 2006 and 2007, while Keishen Bean was the top goal scorer last season with 11 goals.

Greedy's 11 tallies this season also tied Bean's single-season CBU school record which he established last season.

"Ian came to CBU as a proven goal scorer despite being only 19 years-old," said CBU head coach Robbie Chiasson. "He has had previous success in Canada Games and Premier Men's soccer and has adapted to the play of the AUS, responding positively by leading the league in scoring. His ability to play in different roles and still get results is a tribute to his willingness to learn and get better. He has a bright future in this game."

Ian is just the second CBU player to ever be named AUS Rookie of the Year, joining former Capers player Paul Hamilton who was 2006 recipient. UNB's John Fish in 2004 and Dalhousie's Simon Richardson in 2001 are the only Atlantic University Sport players to be named CIS Rookie of the Year.

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Andre Le, Memorial

Le, a fifth year defender with the Sea-Hawks who has been recognized as an academic all-Canadian in his four previous years of study, becomes the first Memorial recipient of the men's soccer Student-Athlete Community Service Award, which has been presented since 2006.

Andre, who completed his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry in four years, achieving Dean's List status each year, is currently enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine and has been heavily involved in community activities throughout varsity athletics career.

He volunteered over 125 hours with St. John Ambulance Division 321 since 2008, is a volunteer coach for Special Olympics since 2008 where he has coached bowling, floor hockey, and swimming. He also volunteered as a judge at the Newfoundland Regional Science Fair in 2009 and 2010 and has also been involved with ESL Conversation classes conversing with foreign students in order to improve their English speaking skills and has volunteered with children's liturgy at his local church.

Andre is also involved with volunteering through the Memorial soccer team, helping out with local events such as the annual Tely 10 and volunteering at the St. Mary's School Fall Fair and Spring Fairs. He has been a participant in the Rotary Read Along program reading to children at numerous schools since 2009 and is also a member of the MUN varsity athlete's council.

"Andre has emerged as a quality leader within our men's soccer program and truly leads by example," says Memorial Director of Athletics Michelle Healey. "His ability to juggle the multiple demands on his time and to achieve success as an athlete, student and community volunteer is nothing short of amazing. He is an outstanding ambassador for Memorial and is truly deserving of the Student Athlete Community Service Award."

COACH OF THE YEAR: Graham Kennedy, StFX

StFX second year head coach Graham Kennedy is being honoured as AUS coach of the year after guiding the X-Men to a CIS No. 1 ranking and an undefeated 11-0-2 season to sit atop the AUS standings with 35 points, earning a bye into this weekend's conference semifinals.

His X-Men were the only undefeated team in the country and have spent the past three weeks of the regular season as the top ranked team in the CIS. They also spent eight consecutive weeks ranked in the Top 10.

After a fifth place finish in his inaugural 2009 campaign, Coach Kennedy has turned his X-Men into one of the top teams in the country this season, allowing only five goals against in 13 games. StFX led the conference with 31 goals scored and recorded nine shutouts.

Prior to taking over as head coach in 2009, Kennedy, a former X-Men player from 1985-89, was an Associate Coach under Lou Bilek. He went on to play senior soccer in Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Alberta throughout the 1990s and earned a Master of Education degree in Coaching from University of Victoria in 1996. Prior to returning to StFX, Kennedy gained experience as the Technical Director of the Calgary Foothills Soccer club, He served as the Director of Soccer at the Edge School for Athletes, was the head coach for the 2009 national gold medalist Calgary Foothills B18, North American Super-Y finalists, FC Calgary, and Calgary Villains Elite of the Alberta Major League.

Kennedy has his Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) B coaching license and has served as a Canadian scout for the Birmingham City Football Club. He is currently employed full-time as the Manager of Campus Recreation at StFX University.

"Graham Kennedy is a winner and his success can be attributed, in part, to his ability to challenge his players and himself to get a little bit better each and every day," said StFX Director of Athletics Leo MacPherson. "He has been an outstanding addition to our team of coaches here at StFX and he has already had a positive impact on soccer within the AUS."

StFX's Lou Bilek is the last StFX coach to be named AUS Coach of the Year in 2007, and Dalhousie's Pat Nearing is the most recent AUS recipient of the CIS Coach of the Year award, which he was awarded in 2008.

FIRST AND SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS

The AUS first and second team all-stars were also announced on Thursday. They are as follows:

First Team All-Stars:
Striker - Ian Greedy, Cape Breton (1st year - Lower Sackville, NS)
Striker - Maxime Ferlatte, Moncton (4th year - Dieppe, NB)
Striker - Steven DeLong, Memorial (2nd year - Yorkton, SK)
Midfield - Michael Marousek, StFX (4th year - Prague, Czech Republic)
Midfield - Jonattan Cordoba, Saint Mary's (2nd year - Halifax, NS)
Midfield - Ross Hagen, Dalhousie (5th year - Calgary, AB)
Midfield - Andrew Rigby, Cape Breton (2nd year - Nottingham, England)
Defender - Max Maund, StFX (2nd year - Courtenay, BC)
Defender - Shawn Kodejs, Saint Mary's (2nd year - Halifax, NS)
Defender - Kerry Weymann, Dalhousie (3rd year - Vancouver, BC)
Keeper - Ben Ur, Dalhousie (4th year - Halifax, NS)

Second Team All-Stars:
Striker - Zachary Shaffelburg, Acadia (1st year - Port Williams, NS)
Striker - Elvir Gigolaj, Saint Mary's (1st year - London, ON)
Midfield - Jamar Dixon, StFX (3rd year - Ottawa, ON)
Midfield - Peter Garonis, Saint Mary's (4th year - Halifax, NS)
Midfield - Silvano Rajkovic, Cape Breton (4th year - Hamilton, ON)
Midfield - Charles Tousignant, Moncton (3rd year - Gatineau, QC)
Defender - Roderick Ramsden, UNB (3rd year - Ottawa, ON)
Defender - Steven Lumley, StFX (1st year - Mississauga, ON)
Defender - Rory Kennedy, Saint Mary's (4th year - Halifax, NS)
Defender - JoshVessey, UPEI (4th year - Stratford, PE)
Keeper - Adam Miller, Saint Mary's (1st year - Halifax, NS)

The 2010 Subway Atlantic University Sport Men's Soccer Championship will be hosted by the Université de Moncton, November 5-7, 2010.

The championship schedule is as follows:

Friday, November 5th
Quarter-final #1: Cape Breton (4th) vs. UNB (5th), 12:00pm
Quarter-final #2: Dalhousie (3rd) vs. Moncton (6th), 3:00pm

Saturday, November 6th
Semifinal #1: StFX (1st) vs. Lowest Remaining Seed, 12:00pm
Semifinal #2: Saint Mary's (2nd) vs. Highest Remaining Seed, 3:00pm

Sunday, November 7th
Championship Game: Semi-final Winners, 2:00pm

The Atlantic University Sport champion will advance to the 2010 CIS Men's Soccer Championship, November 11-14, 2010, hosted by the University of Toronto.