Press Release
Friday, September 08, 2017
U de M soccer teams begin AUS play on Sunday
The women’s team, under head coach Mehyar Zekaroui for a second season, will host the Panthers at 1 p.m. while the men’s team, under the guidance of Florian Ntima-Nsiemi, will play the Panthers at 3:15 p.m.
The women’s team had a record of 2-8-2 last season, and ranked in 8th position in final standings. The men had a record of 1-10-1, and ranked in 9th position. Both teams missed the playoffs.
Aigles Bleues
According to Mehyar Zekaroui, the pre-season games were good for player evaluations. “We have excellent quality players and we know which ones will be our key players,” Zekaroui said. “This will give us a better offensive push to score goals. The team spirit is very good and on the field, the players’ profiles are complementary, whether on defense or offense. We have better players and each one works hard during the week to be on the weekend lineup.”
The coach indicates the work ethics and the confidence have made a difference this season, the result of the work that began last season. “We are relying a lot on our veterans like Alexandra Maltais, a member of the second AUS all-star team last season, Natalie Fleming and Emilie Naugle,” Zekaroui added. “We also have many good recruits including Katrine LeBlanc from Montreal and others who are ready to shine.”
Middle defense player Emilie Naugle, of Shediac, is playing her fourth year with the Aigles Bleues. “We aim to win many more games this season,” said Naugle. “We have many rookies and we are rebuilding our team. As a veteran, I have a leadership role to play. We need to perform better, score more goals and play better defensively.”
Aigles Bleus
The men’s team coach Florian Ntima-Nsiemi says “the team will be more combative beginning with this first game. We prepared our team to play their first game with a home match in front of friends and family. We have an innovative approach and aim to begin on a positive note at home. Team spirit is very high, we have a good group of talented young and versatile players. Our veterans are doing well and we have a fresh group of rookies arriving from the Canada Games. They are adapting quickly to the university caliber.”
Team captain for a second season, Alexandre Thériault, is a veteran of three seasons. “We are coming out of three deceiving seasons and we know that,” Thériault said. “This is our second season with an innovative approach and things are falling in place. The energy is competitive and our team is complete. The intensity is high and the players want to turn things around. The Panthers will be a big test for us as they are a very good AUS team. In my experience, I can honestly say we will be competitive in each game. We will show that on Sunday.”
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