Concordia Stingers men’s soccer team fend off Laval’s Rouge et Or in 0-0 tie
Following a disappointing 6-2 loss to the Caribins in their season opener, the Stingers shutout the Laval Rouge et Or
Both teams’ defensive game was on full display in last night's game, with the Stingers having the only shot of the game after the first 45. This was the Stingers’ and Rouge et Or’s first standoff in over a year and a half, and it was clear both teams were trying to get settled early on.
Concordia's greatest scoring opportunity in the first half came from Mohammad Reza Nafar on a free kick outside the box, which ended up going just over the crossbar.
Stingers head coach Greg Sutton, who is in his eighth campaign with the team, was pleased with his team’s overall effort in the first half.
“We did a good job at setting the tone, dictating the pace of the game, and we had some decent opportunities to score,” said Sutton. “But we have to be a little more clinical around the goal.”
Despite the Stingers’ lack of offense, Sutton was satisfied with how his club handled itself defensively throughout the game, limiting the opposing team’s high scoring opportunities.
“I think a clean sheet is always a good thing,” said Sutton. “You can't lose a game when you do not surrender a goal. For us, defensively, I think we put up a much better performance.”
The Stingers carried their strong defensive game into the second half of the match, limiting the opponent to just a handful of scoring opportunities. The Stingers defense remained consistent through the back half of the game.
In the final 15 minutes, Simon Spenard Lapierre gave fans a reason to stand up when he went for a bicycle kick inside the box. The play was quickly called offside, but the attempt was still appreciated by the spectators.
Goalkeeper Julian Petrilli, who had a relatively quiet night, pushed aside the only two shots he faced in the final 45 minutes. He was seen high fiving his defenseman throughout the night, likely to thank them for their efforts in their own end.
“We defended really hard,” said Petrilli. “We were pressuring well, we were talking and we were hard on the ball.”
Defenseman Angus Legault was also very pleased with last night’s contest, as they had lost by a four goal deficit in the club’s season opener. Tonight’s tie felt like a win for this new Stingers core.
“We went from last game where we conceded 6 goals to a clean sheet, so it's a great improvement there,'' said Legault. “We controlled the game and we got a lot of opportunities to score. Much better effort.”
_600_375_90_s_c1.jpg)
