Rowe Shines as CAPERS Continue Unbeaten Run
By IAIN KING
New faces shining, an AUS veteran writing a dream last chapter to her Varsity career and a goalscoring legend who simply refuses to stop hitting the back of the net.
CBU CAPERS Women's program Head Coach Ness Timmons has seen his side shrug off some early season injury woes to storm to an unbeaten record of 5-0-1 at the midway point of the season. Ness' side sit tucked in two points behind leaders University of New Brunswick with a game in hand ahead of a big home weekend this time around against Memorial on Friday evening and then St. Mary's on Sunday afternoon.
There have been many fascinating stories so far but there's always one headline grabber the CAPERS can rely upon. Ally Rowe, the all-time AUS top women's scorer, who now has 66 career conference goals with 10 already in this campaign including another two hat-tricks.
"At Moncton last weekend she scored another one of those hat-tricks but then she dropped back into the no10 position and she was feeding other players," smiles Ness. "She can be our best passer, our best schemer and play the game like she is in her backyard! Yet when the heat is on nobody in this league can play at number 9 like Ally Rowe. I haven't seen another who can do what she does. Perhaps at times we are guilty of taking her for granted now, she can score from anywhere and she is a level above."
There will come a time next time out when we will have to become accustomed to a CAPERS line-up without the talismanic Rowe as its focal point as she blazes through her final year. In his 29th season at the helm Ness recognises that he must carefully nurture the evolution of a squad desperate to regain the AUS crown lost to St FX in the 2023 Final.
"We have counted on Ellie Lancaster to save us at times because we know she is a quality keeper in only her second year," he stresses. "Of the new signings we have Becca LeBlanc as a Cape Breton product coming back here as an experienced AUS player to play in her hometown and she has been our Most Valuable Player in a few games.
"Becca has amazing energy and she is loved both on and off the field here, a great person. Ally Wilton and Grace Hannaford have been outstanding, all of our leadership players have been excellent, but I guess you always look to the rookies to see what you have. Haylie Clarke has been terrific in a variety of positions from holding midfield to attacking mid to centre-back. She is a very smart soccer player and she is playing like a veteran at times."
Now the weekend beckons with two fired-up rivals. Memorial will arrive off the back of a superb four-point road trip at Acadia and Dalhousie, SMU had the thrill of a last-gasp winner in a rollercoaster 3-2 win over Cindy Tye's Dal Tigers. Ness knows nothing is won in this league in the last summer embers of September, reckoning time is coming and it's a stage of the season he relishes.
"There's six big points at stake next and we are settling in but we know this division can quickly swing one way or the other," he reasons. "The established teams are there again but it could come down to the last weekend to decide the make-up of play-offs.
"You want to get there, you want to get a bye straight into the semi-finals and then you want to look at how you match up with who you might play. We have been through a lot of players and a few different systems and we are still discovering a lot about the team so to come up with an undefeated season so far is fabulous for us."