(FREDERICTON, NB) Luke Rosettani scored in the 4th minute to lead the UNB REDS to a 2-1 preseason win over the visiting Cape Breton Capers, Tuesday evening, at UNB’s BMO Centre.
Rosettani’s strike came on a penalty, following a Capers takedown inside the 18-yard box.
“I usually decide where I’m going to shoot penalties a day before and then I go and practice it a few times,” said Rosettani. “We can compete with these nationally-ranked teams. We may have lost to them in the semi-finals at the AUS last year, but we can compete.”
The REDS pushed their early lead to two in the 12th minute, when Keji Adeniyi drove a ball past Cape Breton keeper Jordan Watkins.
The Capers cut into UNB’s lead in the 17th minute on a goal by Cian Lynch.
The two sides settled, somewhat, during the second half.
Strong defence and solid goalkeeping, at both ends, held both offences at bay the rest of the way.
“It was a good step forward for us against a really good CBU team,” said REDS head coach Barry Morrison. “Obviously, they’re a group that will have three or four more players added to the mix over the course of the next few weeks, so it’ll be a different looking team when we see them in our AUS game and we’ll have to be ready and find another level again then.”
The game was the first of the exhibition season for the Capers.
“We’re in a two or three week phase here to get ready for AUS competition,” said Capers head coach Deano Morley. “We’ll rest, we’ll recover, we’ll discuss tightening up some things, but we just have to grow these boys’ confidence, the young lads, and we’ve got some senior players that we didn’t bring on this trip that will come back into the fold as we build for opening weekend.”
For the REDS, the game was the third in four days.
“As we’ve been growing through the process of our preseason, we’ve gotten ourselves a little more organized defensively,” said Morrison. “The challenge we put forward to the players today was to take risks, to be willing to attack and willing to take risks, and we were able to create more scoring chances than we have all preseason so far.”
Next on the preseason schedule for Cape Breton, a meeting with the Guelph Gryphons, in Halifax, on Thursday.
The REDS wrap up their exhibition schedule on Friday when they host the UNBSJ Seawolves. Game time is scheduled for 3:15pm.
RECAP AND PHOTOS BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics