By Reegan MacAulay
The Holland Hurricanes have one of their most crucial weekends of the entire collegiate athletics season coming up, as the 2024 regular season concludes for all fall sports, and valuable points and certified finishing positions are on the line across women’s and men’s soccer, women’s rugby, and football.
Here’s what you must know about Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA), and Atlantic Football League (AFL) competition between Saturday, Oct. 19 and Sunday, Oct. 20.
Women’s Soccer
The young but talented women’s soccer Hurricanes are guaranteed to claim a playoff spot this weekend. However, their two games, both at home, will decide where they finish in the final standings and who their playoff opponent will be at the 2024 ACAA Championships at Crandall University.
Currently sitting second in the conference with a 5-1-4 record, three wins in their last four games, and six consecutive games with one or more points, Holland will wrap up their 2024 regular season with matches against the league-leading Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) Mystics on Saturday and the 3-1-6 University of King’s College (UKC) Blue Devils.
MSVU, boasting a 6-0-4 record and three points ahead of the Hurricanes, have yet to lose after 10 games; the last game between the two teams, on Sept. 22 in Halifax, N.S., saw a 2-2 draw. UKC is fourth in the conference, four points behind Holland, and they too tied the Hurricanes (0-0) in the last match between the two teams on Sept. 21.
Besides a recent 1-1 draw against the UNBSJ Seawolves, Holland has been red-hot in scoring with 15 goals in their last five games. Five of them were scored by rookie midfielder Karissa George (New Glasgow, N.S.), who has been on a massive resurgence after scoring only two goals in the team’s first six games. Second-year forward Kristyn Taylor (Summerside, P.E.I.) scored two goals and recorded nine shots during that stretch while second-year goalkeeper Allison Rutt (Sheffield Mines, N.S.) never allowed more than one goal against.
Both games this weekend are at 1 p.m. at the Terry Fox Complex in Cornwall, P.E.I. Watch the action live at https://acaa.tv.
Connect with the women’s soccer ‘Canes at www.x.com/caneswsoccer and www.instagram.com/caneswsoccer.
Men’s Soccer
While the women’s soccer Hurricanes have had their youth shine in the spotlight, the men’s soccer Hurricanes haven’t been as lucky, and plenty of miracles will be needed this weekend to even have a shot at making the playoffs.
Currently sitting sixth in the conference with a 2-6-2 record, only one win in their last eight games, and zero goals in their last two games, Holland concludes their 2024 regular season with matches against the 3-5-2 MSVU Mystics and the 5-1-4 UKC Blue Devils.
MSVU is tied with Crandall University for fourth in the conference, three points ahead of the Hurricanes; they tied them 0-0 in the last game between the two teams on Sept. 22. In the fight for the fourth and final playoff spot, the Mystics also have a match against the Dalhousie Rams on Sunday, while Crandall will be playing the league-leading, 10-0-1 STU Tommies and the 6-4-1 UNBSJ Seawolves this weekend. If both MSVU and Crandall go winless and Holland manages to pull off two wins, that could be one of, if not the biggest Cinderella stories in Hurricanes history.
UKC is tied with UNBSJ for second in the conference and has one simple goal; build momentum heading into the 2024 ACAA Championships at Crandall University. The Hurricanes lost 2-0 to the Blue Devils in the last match between the two teams on Sept. 21.
While goal scoring has been lacklustre all season, with only second-year forward Vinicius Boyd (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and rookie forward Chad McNally (Truro, N.S.) having scored Holland’s six goals this season, the team hopes to finish the season on a high note while also seeking to prove that it’s not over till it’s over.
Both games this weekend are at 3:15 p.m. at the Terry Fox Complex in Cornwall, P.E.I. and can be viewed live at https://acaa.tv.
Women’s Rugby
The women’s rugby Hurricanes will look to build momentum this weekend ahead of the ACAA playoffs with a road trip to Fredericton, N.B. for a match against the St. Thomas University (STU) Tommies.
Holland, who holds a 2-3 record and are on a three-game losing streak, trails the 3-2 Mount Allison Mounties in the conference, who play the undefeated, 5-0 UNB Reds on the same day. A win by the Hurricanes and a loss by Mount Allison, will pull the two teams even at the end of the regular season, however the Mounties will finish third in the points standings with bonus points for games with four or more tries, and losses by less than five points.
After starting their season strong with a big home-opening win and a forfeit win but then failing to win their last three games, the ‘Canes seek to end it on a high note, especially after an unfortunate 36-28 road-game loss to the Mounties last Thursday, Oct. 10.
Game time is at 2 p.m. on Sunday in Sackville, NB.
Connect with the women’s rugby ‘Canes at www.instagram.com/hollandhurricanesrugby.
Football
The football Hurricanes are entering an important matchup this Sunday on the raod as the 2024 AFL playoffs quickly approach.
Holding a 3-2 record and sitting second in the standings, Holland has a chance to clinch home-field advantage in the playoffs this Sunday but have two things to keep in mind. One, the 2-3 UNB Reds, who are two points behind the Hurricanes, will face off against the winless, 0-5 Saint John Falcons on Saturday. Two, Holland’s opponent on Sunday are the undefeated, 5-0 Dalhousie Tigers.
If UNB wins on Saturday, the Hurricanes must win or else they will have to head to Fredericton, N.B. for the 2024 AFL playoff semifinals. If UNB loses, the result between Holland and Dalhousie won’t matter, but a win would be both monumental and a big confidence boost.
The Hurricanes had a rough go last weekend with a 51-2 loss to UNB on Saturday, Oct. 12, so we’ll see if the pressure of everything going into this Sunday will play a factor in the team’s performance.
Game time is at 4 p.m. at the Wickwire Field. The game can be viewed live at https://www.ao.live.
Connect with the football Hurricanes at www.facebook.com/canesmfootball, www.x.com/canesmfootball and www.instagram.com/canesmfootball.
Connect with the Holland Hurricanes at www.hollandhurricanes.com, www.facebook.com/hollandhurricanes,www.x.com/hc_hurricanes and www.instagram.com/hollandhurricanes.
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