Aaron McMurray - Invincible

Men's soccer goalie Aaron McMurray started his season with an incredible six-game (and a half) shutout - one of the reasons the V-Reds are number one in their division so far. Admittedly his streak was broken in the match against the UPEI Panthers last Friday, but Aaron answered with yet another shutout against Moncton on Sunday.

"Aaron made one mistake this season so far, so that´s it for the rest of the year", said head coach Miles Pinsent with a smile on his face, referring to the three goals from the Panthers.

McMurray is playing his last season in the V-Reds jersey and seems to have reached another level this year. He said himself that he has had great seasons so far, especially when he broke the record of eight shutouts in a row, formerly held by his goalkeeping coach George Lucas.

Although he may not set another record this year, this is probably still his best season yet.Despite his impressive records he´s not the type to boast and always refers modestly to the good work of the guys in front of him when he talk about his performance.

However, McMurray also had hard times in the V-Reds jersey, particularly when he broke his back after his first season and struggled in his second due to the injury.

"I wasn´t that great and little bit weak", he himself admitted in retrospect. But in his third season, just under two years after the injury, he broke Lucas´ record, which showed everybody he´s back and stronger than ever.

Helping him recover from that injury was none other than the previously mentioned George Lucas. Lucas started to work for the V-Reds right after McMurray's injury. 

"He's an unreal coach," McMurray says about his goalkeeping coach. And Lucas has the same enthusiasm when he talks about McMurray.

"Aaron is always looking to better himself as a keeper. He accepts my input as I try to make improvements and is always asking questions with the hopes again of making himself better at this position. My expectation is that he leads his to victory at the AUS Championships and also at nationals," Lucas said proudly.

McMurray has a very loud interpretation of the goalkeeper's role, letting his defenders know where other players are. That makes it more likely for him to make an easy save and keep shots to a minimum.

He has his sights set on the big one this year, since this is going to be his last season with the Varsity Reds. He wants to win the AUS Championship and go on to the CIS.

"We have the guys on the field to do whatever we want to. We have a quite talented team, so winning is definitely possible." said Aaron full of confidence. If the Varsity Reds win the CIS, there's no doubt McMurray would have played a key role in their success.