REDS Upset Huskies
(FREDERICTON, NB) The No. 6 seeded UNB REDS upset the No. 3 Saint Mary's Huskies 1-0 in the second of two Thursday quarter-final games at the 2024 Atlantic University Sport men's soccer championship at UNB's BMO Centre, in Fredericton.
Ehab Moustafa's (Stratford, PE) goal, in the 52nd minute, proved to be the game winner.
"We knew that we had to come in and put out the best performance we could," said REDS' head coach Barry Morrison. "We knew that SMU was a team that we were nervous about playing and we got it done, so those emotions are excitement and pride."
The REDS wasted no time in going on the offensive, coming close on two scoring chances in the first four minutes. Both times they played the ball just wide of the Huskies' net.
The Huskies first real scoring chance didn't come until about 35 minutes in, when fullback Woody Bain (Dartmouth, NS) stepped up and sent a hard, low shot across the front of the REDS net that just missed the far side.
Then, in added time at the end of the first half, the Huskies were awarded a penalty kick, but REDS' keeper Mahmoud Moustafa (Stratford, PE) made a huge save on Bain's attempt and preserved the 0-0 score as the teams went to the half-time break.
"That save, at the end of the half, where we'd had some really resilient defending, that made all the difference in the world," said Coach Morrison. "That told us that we were ready, it was going to come, and we were going to continue to work and find a way."
The magnitude of that save grew with his brother's goal, which came when UNB's Hunter Delahunt (Boundary Creek, NB) crossed the ball from the right sideline. Harrison McGinn (Jewett's Mills, NB) made a beautiful touch pass to Moustafa who deftly slid the ball past Huskies' keeper Ryan Davis (Lake Loon, NS) giving the home team a 1-0 lead.
"He's been struggling to score, so him scoring in a quarter-final and making us go through, that's massive," said Mahmoud, of Ehab's goal.
From that point the Huskies were relentless in applying pressure on the UNB defence. But wave after wave, the REDS turned them away.
"They're the real MVPs, not me," said Moustafa, of the REDS' defenders. "Simon (Bisaillon) blocked a shot, maybe in the 85th minute, Olli (Menard), they can't get past him, Myers (Hayne), they can't get past him, Schmit (Christopher) on my right, they can't get past him. It's not me, it's my teammates. I just saved one PK. They did the rest."
For the Huskies, who amassed a 7-5-0 (W-L-T) record during the regular season, the season comes to an end.
The REDS, who were 4-4-4 during the regular season, qualifying for the conference championship tournament by earning a single point in a draw in their final game, now advance to Friday's semi-finals where they'll face the second-ranked Memorial Sea-Hawks.
Game time is 4:00pm.
"We knew that we would find a way today," said Morrison. "It's time for us to focus now and get ready for tomorrow. We're going to settle those emotions as quickly as we can and get into preparation for what'll be a battle again tomorrow."
RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics
PHOTOS BY: James West/for UNB Athletics