Elbourne receives AUS men's soccer community service award; Read, Hayfield, Fenton & Warren recognized as AUS all-stars

2018 AUS men's soccer major award winners and all-stars announced
Cape Breton's Peter Schaale named AUS MVP

(HALIFAX, N.S.) Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2018 men's soccer all-stars and major award winners as selected by the conference's 10 head coaches following regular season play.

Third-year Cape Breton Capers defender Peter Schaale of Bernkastel-Kues, Germany, has been named the 2018 AUS most valuable player.

The AUS rookie of the year is UNB Reds striker Tristan Nkoghe of Sherbrooke, Que.

Liam Elbourne, a fifth-year midfielder for the StFX X-Men from Halifax, N.S., is this year's recipient of the AUS student-athlete community service award.

And in his fifth year at the helm of the Cape Breton Capers program, Deano Morley has been selected by his peers as the AUS coach of the year for the second consecutive year and the third time in his career.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Peter Schaale, Cape Breton Capers 

Peter Schaale, a third-year defender from the U SPORTS no. 1-ranked Cape Breton Capers, has been named the Atlantic University Sport men's soccer most valuable player.

The Bernkastel-Kues, Germany native anchored the Capers defence and led them to an undefeated 10-0-2 record, a first-place finish in the AUS standings and a first-round playoffs bye through to Friday's championship semifinals.

Schaale's Cape Breton squad allowed just five goals against all season for a goals against average of 0.42 per game—the best in the nation.

The Capers had eight shutouts this season.

In addition to his defensive prowess, Schaale scored five goals—including a game-winner—and added two assists this season for seven points.

Along with being named AUS MVP, he was named an AUS first team all-star for the second consecutive year.

Schaale will now represent the Atlantic conference as the league's nominee for the Joe Johnson Memorial Trophy as the U SPORTS player of the year.

Atlantic conference nominees have taken home the honour in 2017, 2014, 2005, 2003, 2001, 1998 and 1996.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Tristan Nkoghe, UNB Reds

UNB Reds striker Tristan Nkoghe has been chosen by the coaches as the 2018 Atlantic University Sport rookie of the year.

An arts student from Sherbrooke, Que., Nkoghe started in all 12 games this season for the U SPORTS no. 10-ranked UNB Reds.

He finished third in team scoring with six goals—including a game-winner—and two assists, for eight points in the regular season.

Nkoghe becomes the fifth player from a Reds squad to be named AUS rookie of the year. Current teammate Evan Barker is the most recent UNB player to take home the honour during his freshman season in 2016.

Nkoghe will now represent the AUS as the conference's nominee for the Lou Bilek Award for U SPORTS rookie of the year.

Former UNB standout John Fish was the last AUS men's soccer player to earn national rookie of the year honours. He took home the award in 2004. Dalhousie's Simon Richardson is the only other Atlantic University Sport player to be named U SPORTS (formerly CIS) rookie of the year. He earned the title in 2001.

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Liam Elbourne, StFX X-Men

Liam Elbourne, a fifth-year midfielder with the StFX X-Men, is the 2018 AUS student-athlete community service award recipient.

A business student from Halifax, N.S., Elbourne played in all 12 games for the X-Men this season and started in 11 of them, while maintaining an impressive average in the classroom and volunteering extensively within the StFX and Antigonish communities.

He is a four-time U SPORTS academic all-Canadian, on pace to repeat this accomplishment for a fifth time this season.

In the StFX community, Elbourne has become an advocate for the prevention of sexualized violence. He served as the lone male panelist for the Contextualizing #MeToo panel discussion organized by the StFX Women's and Gender Studies department in November 2017. He also co-designed and co-facilitated a series of workshops in all StFX residences during the 2017-18 winter semester aimed at educating students on issues of consent and sexual assault.

This past September, Elbourne was the keynote speaker at the Antigonish March in Respect for Women.

Additionally, he organized an exhibition of indigenous art in celebration of the permanent installation of the Mi'kmaq flag on the StFX campus the fall of 2017.

He has served as president of the StFX German Society for three years and is currently vice president of the StFX Economics Society.

Elbourne is the first-ever player from the StFX X-Men to receive the men's soccer student-athlete community service award. He will now represent the Atlantic conference as the nominee for the national student-athlete community service award.

Since the inception of the national award in 2005, AUS student-athletes have claimed the honour 10 times (in 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007 and 2006). Acadia's Zachary Visser earned the honour most recently in 2017.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Deano Morley, Cape Breton Capers  

Head coach Deano Morley of the U SPORTS no. 1-ranked Cape Breton Capers has been selected by his peers as the 2018 AUS men's soccer coach of the year for the second consecutive season and the third time in his career.

Earning this award in his fifth season at the helm of the Capers program, Morley led his squad to an undefeated 12-0-2 regular season record, a first-place finish in the AUS standings and a first-round playoffs bye through to Friday's championship semifinals.

Morley's two-time defending AUS champion and reigning U SPORTS champion Cape Breton squad allowed just five goals against all season for a goals against average of 0.42 per game—the best in U SPORTS.

The Capers scored 36 goals in 12 games this season and had eight shutouts.

Morley has led the Capers to the AUS postseason in each of his five seasons as head coach.  

Prior to being appointed head coach, he served as an assistant coach from 2007 to 2013. A native of Nottingham, England, he was a student-athlete with the Capers program from 2004 to 2006 before joining the coaching staff.

He now becomes the Atlantic conference nominee for the U SPORTS coach of the year award.

Morley took home the national honour for the Capers last season.

Other national award wins by AUS coaches in recent years include Acadia's Findlay MacRae in 2016, UNB's Miles Pinsent in 2012, StFX's Graham Kennedy in 2010 and Dalhousie's Pat Nearing in 2008.

FIRST AND SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS

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

First Team All-Stars:
Keeper - Ben Grondin, Dalhousie (2^nd year – Calgary, Alta.)
Defender - Peter Schaale, Cape Breton (3^rd year – Bernkastel-Kues, Germany)
Defender - Josh Read, StFX (3^rd year – Bath, England)
Defender - Daniel Pritchard, Cape Breton (3^rd year – Nuneaton, United Kingdom)
Midfield - Marcus Campanile, Cape Breton (2^nd year – Edinburgh, United Kingdom)
Midfield - Dan Hayfield, StFX (4^th year – Exeter, United Kingdom)
Midfield - Ryan Parris, Acadia (5^th year – Pembroke, Bermuda)
Midfield - Ben Gorringe, UNB (4^th year – Truro, N.S.)
Forward - Cory Bent, Cape Breton (2^nd year – Preston, United Kingdom)
Forward - Stuart Heath, Cape Breton (4^th year – Belfast, Ireland)
Forward - Dan Walker, UNB (4^th year – Fredericton, N.B.)           

Second Team All-Stars:
Keeper - Ben Jackson, Cape Breton (2^nd year – Bury, United Kingdom)
Defender - Isaiah McCullough, Dalhousie (4^th year – Sackville, N.S.)
Defender - Joe Hamilton, UNB (2^nd year – Morecambe, United Kingdom)
Defender - Euan Bauld, Cape Breton (1^st year – East Lauthian, United Kingdom)
Midfield - Spencer Buck, Acadia (4^th year – Quispamsis, N.B.)
Midfield - Saad Mohamed Mersadi, Moncton (5^th year – Marrakech, Morocco)
Midfield - William Warren, StFX (3^rd year – Windsor, N.S.)
Forward - Blake Fenton, StFX (2^nd year – Halifax, N.S.)
Forward - Alex Black, Saint Mary's (3^rd year – Halifax, N.S.)
Forward - Sam Smiley, UPEI (4^th year – Stratford, P.E.I.)
Forward - Tristan Nkoghe, UNB (1^st year – Sherbrooke, Que.)

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The 2018 Subway AUS Soccer Championships will be hosted by Cape Breton University in Sydney, N.S. Nov. 1 to 4.

The championship schedule is as follows:

Thursday, Nov. 1
Women's Quarterfinal #1: Memorial (6^th) vs. Dalhousie (3^rd), 11:30 a.m.
Women's Quarterfinal #2: Saint Mary's (5^th) vs. StFX (4^th), 2 p.m.
Men's Quarterfinal #1: Moncton (6^th) vs. UNB (3^rd), 4:30 p.m.
Men's Quarterfinal #2: Acadia (5^th) vs. Dalhousie (4^th), 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 2
Women's Semifinal #1: Highest Remaining Seed vs. Acadia (2^nd), 11:30 a.m.
Women's Semifinal #2: Lowest Remaining Seed vs. Cape Breton (1^st), 2 p.m.
Men's Semifinal #1: Lowest Remaining Seed vs. Cape Breton (1^st), 4:30 p.m.
Men's Semifinal #2: Highest Remaining Seed vs. StFX (2^nd), 7 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 4
Women's Championship Game: Semifinal #1 Winner vs. Semifinal #2 Winner, 1 p.m.
Men's Championship Game: Semifinal #1 Winner vs. Semifinal #2 Winner, 4 p.m.

*Note: All games of the championship will be available via webcast, live at www.AUStv.ca.

Final AUS men's soccer standings:
http://atlanticuniversitysport.com/sports/msoc/2018-19/standings

The AUS conference received two berths this season at the 2018 U SPORTS men's soccer championship being hosted by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C. Nov. 8 to 11. The berths will be awarded to the AUS championship winner and runner up.

 For more information on the national men's soccer championship, please visit the official website at: https://usports.ca/en/sports/soccer/m.

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