Concordia 0, Laval 0
Stingers Miss Out on a Big opportunity in Card Filled Game
In Friday's 0-0 draw between the Concordia Stingers and the Université de Laval Rouge et Or, men’s soccer team head coach Greg Sutton and his team were left frustrated after failing to secure three points in a game which Laval played over seventy minutes with ten men.
The Stingers remain undefeated this year posting a record of 1-0-2, placing them fourth in the table; tied with UQAM, Laval, and UdeM who all have five points.
The game was chippy to the start and in the second minute, Stingers captain Sean Holmes set the tempo after committing an early foul.
By the 90th minute, the game saw a total of eleven yellow cards and one red. Laval goaltender Phillipe Blouin was sent off in the 18th minute after striking Stingers’ forward Jared Leheta in the face, sending the forward tumbling to the ground.
“It was a fair and justified card,” said coach Sutton about the incident “Of course we’re disappointed, we felt like we have enough quality on this team to do what we needed to do but it just didn't come off. It's a couple of points we’re disappointed we missed.”
Stingers’ keeper Julian Petrilli, on the other hand, got his first start of the season and did well to keep a clean sheet. Despite not having much to do, he made a big stop late in the first half to keep the Rouge et Or at bay.
“I think it was a red card.” He clearly went for the head, so it was a dangerous play,” said Petrilli. “I mean honestly, I'm very proud of how our team played. Defensively; we played collectively, moving the ball.”
In the 73rd minute, Concordia’s number ten, Quentin Bourgeois, dinked a little chip pass into the six-yard box, which required a big save by replacement Laval goaltender, Vincent Desrosiers.
The game soon became stagnant and the trigger-happy referee was glad to reach into his pockets either for a card or whistle every two minutes. Laval essentially parked the bus and played a five at the back for the final forty-five minutes. They were more than content to sit back in a low block and kill Concordia’s momentum. At one point, Stingers’ defenceman Razvan Colici waved his hands discouragingly in the air, as if to signal “where are my options”. Concordia was unable to penetrate.
Captain Sean Homes, who gave a belting postgame speech to the players, knows it was a missed opportunity.
“That’s no excuse. We had easily seventy to eighty minutes to score and we couldn't find it. We’re obviously disappointed, but we move on. We got a tie against a national contending team. We wanted three points but now we go to Three Rivers to try and get three.”
The Stingers played the first place University du Québec à Trois-Rivières Sunday, Sept. 18. The squad lost 3-2, and now looks to bounce back against McGill on Friday, Sept. 23.
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