The St. Thomas University Tommies men’s soccer team is just two years removed from a one-win season. Over the past two years the team has gone a combined 13-5-6 in regular season play, good for second in the ACAA over that span, which also includes a trip to the ACAA Finals and CCAA Nationals last year.
The Tommies went 6-3-3 in the 2019-20 season, including 4-1-2 in their final seven games to secure a playoff spot.
“We finished the regular season strong with only conceding two goals in the final four games,” said Morrison. “We also came second in the league in scoring despite not a single penalty kick being awarded to us all season.”
The Tommies scored 31 goals on the season, tied for second in the ACAA. They were led on the offensive side of the pitch by first year players, Brett Springer (Bamberg, ON) and Adam Evelyn (Bridgetown, Barbados), who combined for 15 goals this year.
“Brett scored the most open play goals in the league this year, and the twins [Adam and Zach Evelyn] were great additions, as I knew they would be. Ravtej, Chidubem, Ajay and Liam all showed that there is a good base to build on for the next 3-4 years,” said Morrison about his young core.
The Tommies were led by their four ACAA All-Stars: John Hunter (Fredericton, NB) and Kyle Yearwood (Bridgetown, Barbados) who were named to the 2nd Team, and Zach Evelyn and Eric Prior (Gananoque, ON) were named to the 1st Team. Prior was also named the Bob Coe Award winner, which is awarded annually to the male soccer player in the ACAA who best combines qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, enthusiasm and ability, both on and off the field.
“Each of our four All-Stars played a big role on the team, and with two of them graduating, it leaves big holes to fill, but that also leads to opportunities for the younger guys to step up more,” said Morrison.
Morrison and the team will now turn towards training and filling the holes that will be left from graduating players in order to make it back to the ACAA Finals next season.