Concordia 19, Guelph 5: Stingers Capitalize on Key Chances

Back and Forth Battle Earns Stingers Chance at Bronze Medal

SportsDawn Kagan-Fleming — Published November 24, 2018

In this case, they faced one of the best teams in Ontario in the Guelph Gryphons, holding them to just five points (they earned their five points on an opportunistic solo effort try and missed kick).

The game opened with a strong push by Guelph, looking like the more dominant team in the first ten minutes. Concordia showed off their RSEQ leading defence, stopping Guelph in the Stingers’ zone for the first chunk of the match.

The Stingers quickly recovered offensively on a charge led by Michael Laplaine-Pereira. It looked as if the team may have been stopped on the try line before captain Lucas Hotton pushed his way in for the game’s first try at the 14 minute mark.

From that point on, it felt as if it was a game of table tennis as each side traded possessions and strong chances in each others’ zone.

However, while Guelph managed to score five points on a strong, individual running play to bring the game within two points (due to a missed conversion), Concordia was the team that took advantage of their offensive possessions, scoring on three key deep drives into the Guelph zone at multiple points in the game.

The second half ended with just a two point deficit for Guelph. Though the Ontario-based team started strong, Concordia’s Malcolm Baird increased his team’s lead just six minutes into the second. Fourth year player Moritz Wittman added another try just past the 53 minute mark of the game.

The Stingers defence warded off most threats during the match and handled the dangerous Guelph offence adeptly, earning a shot at the bronze medal Sunday, Nov. 25 and closing out the round robin portion of the tournament with a 1-1 record.