(FREDERICTON, NB) The UNB REDS men’s soccer team is beginning its 2023 recruiting announcements with a regional splash, with three recruits, one from each of the Maritime provinces.
“We’re excited about adding three Atlantic Canadians to our squad,” said REDS’ head coach Barry Morrison. “There is a tremendous amount of talent in the region, and we’re proud to be able to attract some of it.”
“We hosted an ID camp in January with players coming from all across the country, and these three all made a significant impact over the course of the camp.”
Hunter Delahunt is a striker and left-winger from Boundary Creek, NB, and is finishing his Grade 12 year at Salisbury Regional High School.
Kale Hunter, who plays left and centre back, is from Kensington, PE, and is completing his Grade 12 year at Kensington Intermediate Senior High School.
Myers Hayne also plays left and centre back, and is from Antigonish, NS. He’s wrapping up his Grade 12 studies at Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School.
All three have signed U SPORTS Letters of Intent and will join the REDS ahead of the 2023 Atlantic University Sport season.
Hayne, the oldest of the trio, is a veteran of Suburban FC programs, most recently playing for Suburban’s U17 side that won the 2021 Nova Scotia Soccer League U17 championship.
He’s also a veteran of Nova Scotia’s Canada Games team.
“I really like the style of play that the coaching staff implements,” said Hayne. “I also like the team dynamic and the intensity with which they train.”
“Myers has the potential to impact our program right away,” said Coach Morrison. “He’s a strong left side defender and shows a solid ability on the ball. When working with Myers we’ve been impressed with his ability to play the ball over a variety of distances, and he has great ability on set pieces.”
Hayne’s goal in year one is to make an impact with the team on and off the field. Longer-term, he wants to earn a leadership role and help develop success for the program.
He’ll study Science while attending UNB.
Hunter is a veteran of PEI FC programs and Prince Edward Island’s provincial team.
He captained PEI FC’s U17 side last season as well as Kensington High’s varsity team. He’s a two-time varsity boys soccer MVP at Kensington High.
“I look forward to bringing a positive and competitive spirit to training and games,” said Hunter. “The coaching staff made me feel at home and made my decision so much easier.”
“We’re excited to have Kale joining us,” said Coach Morrison. “He’s been part of their provincial program and has excelled at the club level in the province. We were really impressed with his maturity and ability defensively. He is fast and very strong, contributing to great one-on-one defending. Our staff has been really impressed with Kale’s coachability. He displays a great character and strong work ethic that we believe will give him a great opportunity to excel as a RED.”
Hunter will also study Science while attending UNB.
The native New Brunswicker of the trio, Hunter Delahunt, a veteran member of Team NB, helped the province to a fourth-place finish at the 2022 Canada Summer Games. He’s also a veteran member of Codiac FC, where he helped win U15 and U17 provincial titles in 2019 and 2022
He was his team’s most valuable player in both 2017 and 2018, and in 2018 was also named Codiac’s male player of the year.
In New Brunswick’s premiership league, he’s been the top scorer in the province the past three seasons.
“My strengths are being able to control the ball using both feet, moving forward to create scoring opportunities, and being a team player and a leader,” said Delahunt.
“We’ve seen Hunter play a lot over the years and have always been impressed with his athleticism and danger going forward,” said Coach Morrison. “I see Hunter being a player that has tremendous potential for growth over his time here. His physicality and attacking ability set him apart. Every time he’s come to campus, he’s found ways to score goals and cause defenders problems. I look forward to seeing more of that from him.”
Delahunt counts earning a spot as a REDS starter among his short-term goals. Long-term, he’d like to play professionally.
Delahunt will pursue a degree in Recreation and Sport Studies while attending UNB.
STORY BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics
PHOTOS: Submitted and James West/for UNB Athletics