The St. Thomas Tommies men's soccer team will continue to put their best foot forward this season.
And next year too, for that matter.
Coach John-Ryan Morrison's squad returns five Atlantic Colleges Athletic Association all-stars to the team which completed a 10-0-2 regular season record last season before losing to the arch-rival Holland College Hurricanes on penalty kicks in the ACAA final on the Grant-Harvey turf.
But third-year keeper Luke Ewen, a 6'3'' native of Milton, ON is among the all-star returnees, along with first team all-star Josh Oakes of Kitchener, Ont. and second team stars Elias Stiphout of Leiden, Netherlands; Gray Cyr of Ottawa and Chidubem Nkoloagu of Burnaby, BC.
In fact, all are expected back next year too, giving Morrison a solid nucleus to build around when the Tommies host the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association national championship tournament in November 2024.
Mind you, the Tommies have a big cavity to fill up front with the departure of striker Brett Springer to Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ont. He scored 12 goals for the Tommies last season, including five game winners.
Morrison calls him the best player in STU soccer history. Another first team ACAA all-star, centre back and five goal scorer Ryan MacKinnon, graduated.
But with a solid returning nucleus and 10 first-year players pushing for playing time, the Tommies – who haven't lost a regular season match since September of 2019 – should be top contenders again.
"We're restocked and ready to battle for the ACAA championship again this year," said Morrison, entering his ninth year at the helm when the Tommies open the ACAA regular season against the University of Kings College Blue Devils in Halifax Saturday.
They'll open the season with three straight road games before returning to play their home opener September 20 against the UNBSJ Seawolves.
It will be "goals by committee, hopefully," this season, said Morrison.
There are 10 rookies on the roster this season, "and some of the rookies have really impressed so far," Morrison said. "We're really excited with the fresh attitude with our program this year after the disappointing playoff loss last year."
Morrison's recruiting tentacles spread through Central and Western Canada, and internationally as well, including two players from the Netherlands – Stiphout and rookie Mees van Nouhuys – and one from India, Shrey Choudhary.
He expects van Nouhuys to have "great impact, both on and off the field. First-year fullback Aidan Lavery of Victoria, B.C. has also been noticeable in the early going, said Morrison. Other freshmen who will push for playing time include Rhys Cooke McCormick, a six-foot-five inch defender transferring from Oklahoma's Panhandle University, Brady Chapman, Kiran Hollman Prichard, Laurent Lambert, and Bright Olaoni.
The roster includes players from B.C., Manitoba, Quebec, Alberta and Ontario, as well as the international additions.
Morrison's recruiting magic involves selling himself as a coach, and the lure of hosting the CCAA nationals next year, "but I also sell them on the beautiful campus and the great education they'll receive," he said.
Morrison is excited to hit the pitch in earnest this weekend.
"We've had a really strong preseason, and we're ready to go," he said.