A rough start for Acadia athletics

Acadia athletic teams are off to a rough start this season, but there is optimism - at least surrounding the basketball teams - things will soon improve.

The football season came to an end for Acadia with a 38-17 loss in the AUFX semifinal at St. F.X. The bad news for the Axemen was the loss of starters Sean Knox, Garth Melrose and Matt Philbrick and injuries to a number of other players at key positions. On the other hand, the vacancies created opened up spots for a number of players who will likely be familiar names on the Axemen for the next three or four years: Kevin Garbuio, Mike Leahy, Mike Miller and Andrew Roorda.

In some ways, the Acadia soccer teams had disappointing seasons: both the Axemen and Axewomen ended up with losing records and out of the playoffs. However, the men’s team was surprisingly competitive in just its second season, winning once and tying five other games. Jeff Dortmans and Felipe Moura were named conference all-stars. The Axewomen had a little tougher time, finishing 1-10-2, but also have a decent core of players and, like the men, are probably only an impact player or two away from being competitive.

The women’s rugby team remained in the hunt for a playoff spot until the final weekend of play. Both Jennifer Mulock and Kate Foulds were rewarded for solid seasons with spots on the conference all-star team.

The hockey Axemen, with no fewer than 14 first-year players, are off to a rough start with a 1-6-1 record. It’s likely to be a long winter around Acadia as the young Axemen take their lumps. However, the Axemen have been here before: the last group of young players eventually won a conference championship.

I look for the women’s volleyball team to rebound from a disappointing 0-4 start to the season and, as the younger players mature, take its place among the leaders.

The Acadia basketball regular season gets underway with the Axewomen looking to build on some pre-season success. Acadia will host the women’s conference championship next spring, and head coach Angie McLeod would like nothing better than to qualify as one of the six top teams. The men’s basketball team will be out to defend Acadia’s first conference title in nine seasons, and truly looks like a powerhouse, based both on the roster and an impressive 5-1 record in the pre-season.