Heading into their home opening weekend, the Memorial Sea-Hawks (1-0-1) will look to please the home crowd in a pair of games against the visiting Cape Breton Capers (1-0-1).
The Sea-Hawks started their 2022 campaign on the road last weekend, battling to a 2-2 draw with the Moncton Aigles Bleus and a 2-0 victory over the Acadia Axemen. A solid start on the road in the conference's opening weekend should give the Sea-Hawks confidence heading into two important matches this weekend against a competitive Capers side.
The Sea-Hawks have some crucial players returning from last season that should help them contintue to build on a strong 2021 campaign. Team captain Harry Carter is back for his senior season after spending the summer with London FC of League 1 Ontario. Two other members of this year's Sea-Hawks squad took the same route as Carter, Jacob Grant spent his summer with Simcoe County Rover FC and Matt Hargest competed for for Hamilton United. With the high caliber of soccer, they've played over the last few months, this should bode well for how the team gets out of the gates. Sea-Hawks coach Jake Stanford is pleased to have these crucial players return, "The return of numerous players is a building block for our team to have a good year". Midfielder Felly Elonda spent a portion of the summer attending training camp with the Halifax Wanderers U23 side and also appeared in some games with the team. An experience that is sure to provide some extra confidence for Elonda heading into this season.
Along with some key veteran returnees, the Sea-Hawks welcomed in some new talent for this season and some of the team's new faces have already made an impact. Hailing from Winnipeg, centerback Troy Petrie enjoyed a stellar start to his Sea-Hawks career, capturing Player of the Game honours for his performance versus Moncton and was named Sea-Hawks Athlete of the Week for his steady defending. Another arrival for this season from Winnipeg, forward Rodi Kirchimov made his presence felt last weekend too, finding the back of the net versus Acadia and was a consistent presence on the attack in both games. Sea-Hawks captain Harry Carter believes the blend of new and returning faces should help the team take the next step, "We have new guys ready to make an impact and returning players ready to step up to take us to the next level".
Visiting this weekend are the defending AUS Champion Cape Breton Capers, who should provide a great test for the host Sea-Hawks. The first game between the Sea-Hawks and Capers will take place on Saturday, September 17th at 3:15 PM NDT and the final game of the weekend series takes place at 3:15 PM NDT the following day on the 18th.