Takacs, Pheulpin and Quigley Named AUS All-Stars
(FREDERICTON, NB) Headed to the Atlantic University Sport men’s soccer championship tournament, in Sydney, Nova Scotia, the UNB REDS are celebrating three team members selected as 2021 AUS All-Stars.
4th year striker Grant Takacs, of Woodstock, ON, was named a 1st Team All-Star, while 5th year midfielder Mathew Quigley, of Chester Basin, NS, and 5th year defender Tom Pheulpin, of San Antonio, TX, were 2ndTeam All-Star selections.
“This is the first All-Star recognition for all three of these graduating student-athletes,” said REDS head coach Barry Morrison. “It’s a huge accomplishment and great recognition for the work they’ve put into their game over the last five years.”
Takacs, who started in 11 of UNB’s 12 games, led the REDS in scoring and was 5th in AUS scoring with six goals and two assists, for eight points.
“Grant has been a force for us all season long,” said Morrison. “His ability on the ball paired with his size and strength make him a very difficult player for defending teams. He’s played across our front three and causes equal problems both attacking and defending. I’ve been proud to see Grant grow into the leader he has been this year.”
Pheulpin played in 11 of the REDS games, starting ten of them.
He tied Takacs for the team lead in scoring with eight points. Pheulpin had five goals and three assists.
“Tom is our ultimate utility player,” said Morrison. “His intelligence and game understanding means he’s useful in all parts of the field and in every role. He’s played nearly every position on the field, and scored some key goals for us in big games. Tom has put a lot of work into his game over the last year and it paid off massively for him in his performances this season.”
Quigley, playing his fifth and final season of U SPORTS eligibility while pursuing a Masters degree, assisted on six REDS goals in 2021.
“Quigs has been the unsung hero of our midfield over the last few seasons, always doing the little things well, and making the game easy for the players around him,” said Morrison. “His deceptiveness and ability to create time and space for himself and others sets him apart from other midfielders in the league. He’s a quiet leader on our team and consistently makes those around him better. I’m really pleased to see Quigs get this recognition. I think it’s been a long time coming.”
Takacs, Pheulpin, Quigley and their REDS teammates face Memorial on Thursday in one of two AUS men’s soccer quarter-finals.
The REDS go into the tournament as the 3rd seed, while the Sea-Hawks ranked 6th.
Game time is 7:00pm