Hall of Famers like Mike Reddy, and later Harry Ennis and Alf Breen, followed by Fox Reddy for a spell and then Johnny Breen, who along with his brother Billy, the big centre-back, were the anchors to the great Holy Cross teams that won seven Challenge Cup titles in the 1980s.
Now, while it’s still way too early to go comparing a 19-year-old kid to those legendary figures, it’s safe to say Owen McAleese is on his way to carving out his own little niche in Crusaders history.
McAleese, a Memorial University student from St. John’s, will be a key man for Holy Cross as it looks to make it three straight provincial Challenge Cup crowns this year — and seven in eight years — and perhaps even a crack at a national championship on King George V turf in October.
The six-team 2016 Challenge Cup circuit opens today with three games on tap — Holy Cross and Feildians hook up at 4 p.m. at King George, while the St. Lawrence Laurentians visit Mount Pearl to take on that squad 6 p.m. at the Gushue Complex. On the west coast, Corner Brook plays host to C.B.S. in a 6 p.m. contest.
Related story:
The province’s 2017 Canada Games team will play on an exhibition basis, although points will count for the six Challenge Cup teams.
This year’s senior men’s soccer campaign has some special meaning, considering the Canadian Challenge Cup championship — and the Jubilee Trophy women’s tournament — is scheduled for St. John’s.
“I think having the nationals here, and two teams in the tournament, will make things that much exciting and intense,” said Holy Cross veteran Jake Warren. “But you want to be the best team in any league, so it’s not like anybody will simply settle for second place.
“Every regular season game will be a quality game with a spot in the nationals on the line.”
The Crusaders lost only once in 20 starts last year — they won 16 games, and tied three — finishing seven points ahead of their old rivals from the Peninsula, the St. Lawrence Laurentians.
Big Blue, which got in the way of Holy Cross’s reign with a championship in 2013, finished the year at 14-4-2.
And while the Crusaders appear to have good depth throughout the lineup, a large part of their success can be credited to McAleese, whose rookie season was as good as any in recent Challenge Cup memory.
All the Gonzaga High School product did was win league rookie of the year honours and earn a berth on the league’s all-star team. He was the unanimous choice as the Holy Cross MVP.
McAleese was also a first-team all-star in the Atlantic University Sport conference, toiling for the Memorial Sea-Hawks.
“He’s probably one of the hardest-working players I’ve ever seen,” Warren said. “He doesn’t say a while lot. He just puts his head down and works.
“It’s funny, but he always seems to make the right decision … always finds himself in the right spot. And if he’s not, he’ll work his tail off to get back and make a play.”
Jake Stanford is McAleese’s coach with both the Crusaders and Sea-Hawks and has come to appreciate a player who prefers to do his talking on the field.
The 5-11 player, Stanford said, will never miss a training session, and is one of those players who transfers what he learns in practice to the game.
“His knowledge of the game and vision on the field are outstanding,” Stanford said. “He’s a key cog to Holy Cross soccer.”
Warren will play this weekend. However, just as he did last season, he will miss all of June and part of July as he finishes up school in Scotland, where he’s completing his masters degree in physiotherapy.
CHALLENGE CUP 2015
Final Standings
Team GP W L T Pts
Holy Cross 20 16 1 3 51
St. Lawrence 20 14 4 2 44
Mount Pearl 20 11 6 3 36
Feildians 20 7 9 4 25
Corner Brook 20 5 14 1 17
C.B.S. 20 0 19 1 1
———
Final scoring leaders
Player, team G
Justin Pickford, Mount Pearl 14
Kyle Williams, Holy Cross 10
Tyler Forsey, St. Lawrence 9
Sean Drew, St. Lawrence 8
Steven Delong, Holy Cross 8
Chad Seymour, Mount Pearl 7
Mike Dunn, Holy Cross 7
Jake Warren, Holy Cross 6
Jeremy Babstock, Holy Cross 6
Hall of Famers like Mike Reddy, and later Harry Ennis and Alf Breen, followed by Fox Reddy for a spell and then Johnny Breen, who along with his brother Billy, the big centre-back, were the anchors to the great Holy Cross teams that won seven Challenge Cup titles in the 1980s.
Now, while it’s still way too early to go comparing a 19-year-old kid to those legendary figures, it’s safe to say Owen McAleese is on his way to carving out his own little niche in Crusaders history.
McAleese, a Memorial University student from St. John’s, will be a key man for Holy Cross as it looks to make it three straight provincial Challenge Cup crowns this year — and seven in eight years — and perhaps even a crack at a national championship on King George V turf in October.
The six-team 2016 Challenge Cup circuit opens today with three games on tap — Holy Cross and Feildians hook up at 4 p.m. at King George, while the St. Lawrence Laurentians visit Mount Pearl to take on that squad 6 p.m. at the Gushue Complex. On the west coast, Corner Brook plays host to C.B.S. in a 6 p.m. contest.
Related story:
The province’s 2017 Canada Games team will play on an exhibition basis, although points will count for the six Challenge Cup teams.
This year’s senior men’s soccer campaign has some special meaning, considering the Canadian Challenge Cup championship — and the Jubilee Trophy women’s tournament — is scheduled for St. John’s.
“I think having the nationals here, and two teams in the tournament, will make things that much exciting and intense,” said Holy Cross veteran Jake Warren. “But you want to be the best team in any league, so it’s not like anybody will simply settle for second place.
“Every regular season game will be a quality game with a spot in the nationals on the line.”
The Crusaders lost only once in 20 starts last year — they won 16 games, and tied three — finishing seven points ahead of their old rivals from the Peninsula, the St. Lawrence Laurentians.
Big Blue, which got in the way of Holy Cross’s reign with a championship in 2013, finished the year at 14-4-2.
And while the Crusaders appear to have good depth throughout the lineup, a large part of their success can be credited to McAleese, whose rookie season was as good as any in recent Challenge Cup memory.
All the Gonzaga High School product did was win league rookie of the year honours and earn a berth on the league’s all-star team. He was the unanimous choice as the Holy Cross MVP.
McAleese was also a first-team all-star in the Atlantic University Sport conference, toiling for the Memorial Sea-Hawks.
“He’s probably one of the hardest-working players I’ve ever seen,” Warren said. “He doesn’t say a while lot. He just puts his head down and works.
“It’s funny, but he always seems to make the right decision … always finds himself in the right spot. And if he’s not, he’ll work his tail off to get back and make a play.”
Jake Stanford is McAleese’s coach with both the Crusaders and Sea-Hawks and has come to appreciate a player who prefers to do his talking on the field.
The 5-11 player, Stanford said, will never miss a training session, and is one of those players who transfers what he learns in practice to the game.
“His knowledge of the game and vision on the field are outstanding,” Stanford said. “He’s a key cog to Holy Cross soccer.”
Warren will play this weekend. However, just as he did last season, he will miss all of June and part of July as he finishes up school in Scotland, where he’s completing his masters degree in physiotherapy.
CHALLENGE CUP 2015
Final Standings
Team GP W L T Pts
Holy Cross 20 16 1 3 51
St. Lawrence 20 14 4 2 44
Mount Pearl 20 11 6 3 36
Feildians 20 7 9 4 25
Corner Brook 20 5 14 1 17
C.B.S. 20 0 19 1 1
———
Final scoring leaders
Player, team G
Justin Pickford, Mount Pearl 14
Kyle Williams, Holy Cross 10
Tyler Forsey, St. Lawrence 9
Sean Drew, St. Lawrence 8
Steven Delong, Holy Cross 8
Chad Seymour, Mount Pearl 7
Mike Dunn, Holy Cross 7
Jake Warren, Holy Cross 6
Jeremy Babstock, Holy Cross 6
