Two Axemen and coach named in AUS Awards

Nov. 5, 2015 (WOLFVILLE, N.S.) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2015 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 striker Justin Maheu was named the AUS most valuable player for the second consecutive year at Thursday's championship luncheon. 

Other AUS major award winners announced during the championship banquet hosted by Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S. were Cape Breton University's Joel Eckert-Ayensa of Pulhaim, Germany, who was named rookie of the year; Dalhousie's Sangmuk Choi of Anyang, Korea, who received the student-athlete community service award; and Acadia head coach Findlay Macrae who took home the AUS coach of the year award in his ninth season as head coach of the Axemen.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Justin Maheu, Cape Breton

Justin Maheu, a third-year striker with the CIS No. 5-ranked Cape Breton Capers has been named the Atlantic University Sport men's soccer most valuable player for the second consecutive season.

Maheu, who led the league and was third in the country in goals this season with 13, was also honoured Thursday as an AUS first team all-star. This is Maheu's second consecutive season being named to the first team all-star squad. In the 2014 season, he was also named a CIS all-Canadian.

The striker from Ottawa, Ont. posted two hat tricks this season and scored three game-winning goals for the Capers.

Maheu earned his first MVP title and a spot on the 2014 AUS first team all-star squad last season after posting a league-leading 15 goals. His average of 1.36 goals per game in regular season play was the best in the country.

He won the Joe Johnson Memorial Trophy as the 2014 CIS men's soccer player of the year and was named the 2015 AUS nominee for the BLG award as CIS athlete of the year.

"Justin has not rested on his laurels following last year's exceptional personal accomplishments - AUS MVP and CIS MVP awards," said Capers head coach Dean Morley. "He has worked harder in the off season and influenced new recruits and returning players to be committed and determined."

"Justin forces opposing coaches and teams to plan to deal with him, and although he has been marked much tighter playing against hard-working, well-disciplined defences, he has continued to be a constant threat and has scored many great and important goals," Morley continued. "His attitude on the field and in the classroom has been exceptional. I truly believe he deserves this award."

This is the seventh time and the third consecutive year a Cape Breton player has been honoured with the AUS most valuable player award. 

Maheu will once again represent the Atlantic conference as the league's nominee for the Joe Johnson Memorial Trophy as the CIS player of the year. Maheu's national MVP honours last season marked the first time a member of the Capers had won the award.

He joined the ranks of UPEI's Ryan Anstey (2005) and Glen Miller (1998), SMU's Mesut Mert (2003 and 2001) and Dalhousie's Paul English (1996) – the other Atlantic University Sport players to win the national award.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Joel Eckert-Ayensa, Cape Breton

Cape Breton University's Joel Eckert-Ayensa has been chosen by the coaches as the 2015 Atlantic University Sport rookie of the year.

A 5-foot-8 midfielder from Pulhaim, Germany, Eckert-Ayensa played in all 13 of the Capers' 13 regular season games this year and started in 11 of them.

In those 13 games, he scored six goals – including two game-winners – and posted five assists. He was credited with 24 shots and 17 shots on goal this season.

"Joel has had an instant impact on the league," said Capers head coach Dean Morley. "His quality on set pieces and his ability to strike from range with both feet allow him to be a constant threat; he is certainly the best natural finisher in our program."

"He has settled in quickly as a student-athlete, doing well on the field, in the classroom and in the community," continued Morley. "Joel has shone as a rookie and three of his goals are goal-of-the-season candidates. He is a true game breaker, an X factor, who can impact the game at any moment. He is a great asset to our program and I think he will have a great AUS career."

Eckert-Ayensa becomes just the third player from the Capers to be named AUS rookie of the year and the first since former Capers standout Ian Greedy earned the honour in 2010. Paul Hamilton took home the award for Cape Breton in 2006.

Eckert-Ayensa now becomes the AUS nominee for the Lou Bilek Award for CIS rookie of the year.

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

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Sangmuk Choi, Dalhousie

Sangmuk Choi, a 5-foot-8 midfielder in his fifth year of eligibility with the Dalhousie Tigers is the 2015 AUS student-athlete community service award recipient.

The Anyang, Korea native had a great year on the soccer pitch for the Tigers, playing in all 13 regular season games and starting in six of them.

In the classroom, Choi boasts an impressive 3.95 culmative GPA. He is currently completing a bachelor of kinesiology at Dalhousie. 

In his community, Choi serves as a volunteer research assistant with the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy in children and youth – collecting data for this three-year project.

He is a volunteer exercise leader's assistant for the Cadiovascular and Pulmonary Health in Motion program, working weekly with patients on the road to recovery.

Choi also volunteers his time with the Dalhousie International Students' Association's Annual Intercontinental Soccer Tournament as well as with Dalhousie's Special Tigers program which runs events where youth with intellectual disabilities partner with Dalhousie athletes to share their love for sport.

"Sangmuk Choi is one of the best examples of a top CIS student-athlete I have had the privilege to coach in 18 years at Dalhousie," said Tigers head coach Pat Nearing. "His application to and success in his studies and his sport are impressive (3.95 GPA and a key player on the Tigers' men's soccer team)."

"He makes time in a very busy schedule to volunteer with cardiac patients and in child development research studies because he feels there is a need," continued Nearing. "He has also made it a goal of his to continue his involvement in soccer by refereeing. He is already one of the top young officials in Atlantic Canada and I have no doubt that he will succeed in that field as well. Highly respected by his team mates and opponents, it has been my privilege to coach him for five years!"

Choi becomes the third player from the Dalhousie Tigers to receive the men's soccer student-athlete community service award. He will now represent the Atlantic conference as the nominee for the CIS student-athlete community service award.

Since the inception of the national award in 2005, AUS student-athletes have claimed the honour seven times (in 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007 and 2006). Dalhousie's Nathan Rogers was the most recent recipient of the CIS honour, earning it in 2013.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Findlay MacRae, Acadia

Head coach Findlay MacRae of the Acadia Axemen has been selected by his peers as the 2015 AUS men's soccer coach of the year.

Earning the award in his ninth season at the helm of the Axemen program, MacRae led his squad to a 6-2-5 regular season record and third place in the AUS standings.

The Axemen allowed the second fewest goals against in the conference this season with 12.

This is the third consecutive year MacRae has led the Axemen squad to the postseason.

Over the last eight years, MacRae has been involved in the local soccer community serving most recently as the head coach of the Valley United Premiere Men's team.

His Canadian soccer roots began in Truro as a player with the Nova Scotia Agriculture College soccer club. He then moved his soccer interests towards coaching, acting as a co-coach with the NSAC squad in 1985-86 following his four years as player.

Findlay has completed the Canadian Soccer Association's 'B' Licence Program's provincial course. He currently works on the Acadia campus as the director of the Acadia Centre for Social and Business Entrepreneurship.

"I couldn't be happier for Findlay as this is clearly his program and even community," said Acadia director of athletics Kevin Dickie. "He has been the one constant since the team returned to our campus, and has been most passionate about it achieving success. He knew that with the resources, we would compete in the AUS under his leadership. I'm always amazed how coaches like Findlay with professional demands off the pitch, get it done at the level they do."

MacRae now becomes the AUS nominee for CIS coach of the year. UNB's Miles Pinsent is the most recent coach from the Atlantic conference to earn the honour. He was named CIS coach of the year in 2012.

Other CIS wins by AUS coaches in recent years include 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 Thursday. They are as follows:

First Team All-Stars:

Striker – Justin Maheu, Cape Breton (3^rd year – Ottawa, Ont.)
Striker – Bezick Evraire, Dalhousie (5^th year – Ottawa, Ont.)
Midfielder – Marcus Lees, UNB (3^rd year – Barrie, Ont.)
Midfielder – Diego Padilha, UNB (3^rd year – Maceió, Brazil)
Midfielder – Sandro Rajkovic, Cape Breton (5^th year – Hamilton, Ont.)
Midfielder – Owen McAleese, Memorial (1^st year – St. John's, N.L.)
Defender – Andrew Snyder, Acadia (4^th year – Bridgewater, N.S.)
Defender – Cole MacMillan, UPEI (5^th year – Stanhope, P.E.I.)
Defender – Steven Miller, UNB (5^th year – London, Ont.)
Defender – Zak Riley, Cape Breton (4^th year – Liverpool, United Kingdom)
Keeper – Scott Shewfelt, Cape Breton (4^th year – London, Ont.)

Second Team All-Stars:

Striker – Tyler Forsey, Memorial (3^rd year – St. Philips, N.L.)
Midfielder – Liam Elbourne, StFX (2^nd year – Halifax, N.S.)
Midfielder – Ryan Parris, Acadia (2^nd year – Hamilton, Bermuda)
Midfielder – Antonie Godin, Moncton (5^th year – Dieppe, N.B.)
Midfielder – Kenneth Van Aarle, UNB (3^rd year – St. Andrews, N.B.)
Midfielder – Randy Ribeiro, StFX (5^th year – Cambridge, Ont.)
Midfielder – Harminder Singh, UPEI (4^th year – Cremona, Italy)
Defender – Mark Hagen, Dalhousie (5^th year – Calgary, Alta.)
Defender – Jonathan Doucett, Dalhousie (3^rd year – Dartmouth, N.S.)
Defender – Serge Dossou, StFX (4^th year – Calgary, Alta.)
Keeper – Christian Oxner, Saint Mary's (2^nd year – Halifax, N.S.)

************************

The 2015 Subway Atlantic University Sport men's soccer championship will be hosted by Acadia University at Raymond Field in Wolfville, N.S., Nov. 5-8, 2015.  

The championship schedule is as follows:

Thursday, Nov. 5
Quarter-final #1: Memorial (5^th) vs. UPEI (4^th), 5 p.m.
Quarter-final #2: Dalhousie (6^th) vs. Acadia (3^rd), 7:15 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 6
Semifinal #1: Lowest Remaining Seed vs. Cape Breton (1^st), 5 p.m.
Semifinal #2: Highest Remaining Seed vs. UNB (2^nd), 7:15 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 8
Championship Game: Semifinal #1 Winner vs. Semifinal #2 Winner, 2 p.m.

*Note: All games of the championship will be broadcast live on Bell Aliant's FibreOP TV1 and available via webcast, live at www.AUStv.ca.

Final AUS men's soccer standings:
http://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/sports/msoc/2015-16/standings

The Atlantic University Sport conference receives two berths at the 2015 CIS men's soccer championship, November 12-15, 2015, hosted by York University in Toronto, Ont.

The berths will go to the AUS championship winner and runner-up.  

For more information on the 2015 CIS men's soccer championship, please visit the official website at: http://en.cis-sic.ca/championships/msoc/2015/championship.