The Université de Moncton men’s and women’s soccer teams begin training for the 2012 Atlantic University Sport soccer season on Saturday morning under new head coach Angelo Jean-Baptiste.
The Stade Moncton 2010 Stadium will host about 50 athletes staring at 8 am for the men’s team and at 10 am for the women’s.
”I expect about 30 athletes vying for the men’s team and about 25 for the women’s said coach Angelo Jean-Baptiste. As this is my first season, I will use the first sessions to get to know the athletes and I really look forward to getting going. I will have to evaluate potential candidates for each position because our season gets under way on Friday September 7th in Wolfville against the Acadia Axemen.”
The first home games will be on Sunday Sept. 9th against the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers.
The women’s team had 18 players last season and about 15 should be at camp. The team barely missed out on the 2011 AUS championships tournament with a very good end of season record. ”Team captain Josée LeBlanc will be back for a fifth season and she will help the team greatly, added Jean-Baptiste. I will need to find a new goalkeeper as no one is returning. Dieppe’s veteran players Nikkie LeBlanc and Anik Gautreau will be back as well as Kayla Blanchard of Bathurst and Élena Boudreau, of Petit-Rocher, to name a few. I expect a few rookies from the province and a few from Québec.”
The men’s team had 24 players last season and about 20 will return. The team lost in quarter final action in the AUS in 2011. One of the goalkeeper positions is open while Samuel Charron of Gatineau should be one of the top keepers in the league this season. ”I will have a number of veterans including Memramcook’s Justin Gautreau, Bourama Simpara from Mali, Jérémie Roy of Alcida and Simon Lesage of Gatineau, added Jean-Baptiste. Antonie Godin of Dieppe and Pierre-Luc Couturier of Edmundston, to name a few, will also return. A number of rookies are expected, including some from the provincial AAA high school championship team of l’école L’Odyssée of Moncton.”
The Aigles Bleues will play a couple of exhibition games against the FC Chaleur women’s team while the men’s will host l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, all games on Sept. 1st and 2nd.
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