Major holes to fill for V-Reds

It's early in the A.M. for the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds men's soccer team.

But coach Miles Pinsent believes there's a bright new morning dawning at Chapman Field.

It happens Saturday, in fact, when the A.M. (After Morrison) era begins with a 3:15 p.m. match against the Mount Allison Mounties to kick off the regular season schedule. They travel to Halifax to face Stewart Galloway's Saint Mary's Huskies Sunday at 3:15 p.m.

The V-Reds begin a new era with the graduation of several key players, most notably Morrison, the Fredericton native and all-Canadian midfielder who ran their offence for the past five seasons, and first-team AUS all-star goaltender Matt Lally.

The absence of the two homegrown talents, along with veterans Karel Prickett and Ashley Crook, among others, would indicate it's a rebuilding year on campus, but Pinsent shrugs off the suggestion.

"I'm not willing to use that term because I think it implies that we're not ready to compete," said the fiery Prince Edward Islander. "I really think we are. We're definitely a very different team. We're going to play very different and we're going to have a different feel. But we had 18 first and second year players on our roster last year. There are a bunch of talented players who are ready to take on new roles and new responsibilities. I'm excited about it."

V-Reds battled the Mounties to a scoreless tie in exhibition play last Friday, but Pinsent liked what he saw in terms of creating plays and scoring chances.

"I would have liked to see the ball go in the net, but hopefully that will come this weekend," said Pinsent.

V-Reds had a relatively tough time scoring goals last year: 18 in 13 games in their construction of 7-2-4 record which placed them third overall in the AUS a year ago.

"I don't think it's going to come from one or two individuals," said Pinsent. "I think we're really balanced in the attack, moreso than we have been. We won't have a 10-11 goal scorer at the end of the year, but I think we'll have five or six players with three or four goals each."

Their leader last year was Morrison, with five.

Striker Galen Smith, held to just one goal last year after leading the team with five the year before, is expected to return to form. Ditto, third year players Amir Razik and J.C. Campeau on the wings, along with second-year Shea Nordheim.

Razik and Campeau have both missed significant stretches due to injury but have impressed in training camp.

"You don't replace a Ken Morrison," said Pinsent. "You just don't. He was a very talented player, and the way he played was unique as well. So a lot of our system was dictated by having Ken in the middle of the field. You don't replace that. You just try to play a different style and a different system."

Pinsent actually believes the midfield is in pretty good shape in the post-Morrison era, with veteran Pablo Urbina returning for a third season, along with veteran Jason Bessey. Add a blessing in the form of McGill transfer student Ryan Lauzon, who played centre mid for the Redmen team which won the CIS silver medal last season in Langley, B.C. The Redmen fell to Quebec rival Laval Rouge et Or 3-2 in the national final.

Lauzon had planned to take a season off, "but once we started a dialogue, he decided this is where he wanted to be," said Pinsent, who mined his recruiting network to find a new goaltender, Aaron McMurray of London, Ont. to push incumbent Morgan Kenny for the spot in nets created by the departure of the steady Lally.

For McMurray, it's not exactly a homecoming, but it's a return to his roots if you will. His parents are UNB grads and the London-area contacts for the UNB alumni organization.

"It was funny, because we had that first telephone conversation and I sad 'Why are you thinking about UNB?' and "What do you know about UNB?' and he said 'Both my parents went there," said Pinsent.

Pinsent's recruiting tentacles spread all the way to Cairo, in fact, and produced Yassin Chehab el Din, who will anchor the backline in the centre.

"He's a real dominant player in the air, a very good tackler," said Pinsent. "It was one of those emails you get as a coach, and I started following up and asked why he was interested in UNB and he said 'I already am at UNB.'

The UNB Bachelor of Business Administration program is available in Cairo, Egypt, thanks to a partnership the university has established with the Sadat Academy of Management Sciences (SAMS). The program has had 39 graduates since its inception in 2000.

"He wanted to come here to finish off his international business degree," said Pinsent. "He sent me some video clips, and you could tell he was playing at a very high level. He definitely was a dominant player."

And here he is.

Another rookie, Winnipeg native Alex Haiart, who played prep school soccer at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Florida., will get significant field time as a rookie, "and we'll be very comfortable with him on the field."

The V-Reds women's side, seeking to improve on their cellar-dwelling 2-10-1 mark of a year ago, also kick off the regular season this weekend, with a 1 p.m. Saturday start against the Mounties at Chapman Field.

They travel to Halifax to face the Huskies Sunday as well.