Rouge et Or 36, Stingers 10: Dominant second half propels Laval to victory
Concordia’s playoff clinch will have to wait at least one more week as they get set to take on the Carabins on Saturday
After a tightly contested first half between the Concordia Stingers football team and the Laval Rouge et Or, the floodgates opened in the second half for Laval. They defeated the Stingers 36-10.
Coming into this marquee matchup, Concordia had won their three previous games. One more win would have secured their spot in the playoffs.
In front of a near sellout crowd at Stade Telus UL, the Stingers weathered the storm and entered the break with only a 13-10 deficit. They were able to do what not many teams have done in the past--come into Quebec City and challenge the Rouge et Or.
Olivier Roy who had won the RSEQ offensive player of the week for three consecutive weeks--kept his team in the game along with the help of the Stingers defence. It was a homecoming of sorts for the Donnacona, Quebec native playing in front of friends and family.
“It always feels good to come back to Quebec city,” said Roy. “It’s nice to play in front of my parents that were there for my entire football journey,” he added.
The undermanned Concordia side were without star wideouts Jeremy Murphy and Vincent Alessandrini.
The large crowd of 9000 at Stade Telus were treated to a great first half but the second half was a difficult one for the Stingers. Having won their previous three games, the Stingers had become the team to beat in the Réseau Sport Étudiant Québec (RSEQ).
Despite the loss, this is not the time to panic for a team that has surpassed expectations up until this point of the season. Concordia has three games left in their schedule and only need one more win to secure a spot in the playoffs.
“We got a short week, this was [game] five, next week is [game] six,” said head coach Collinson. “We got Montreal at home, that’s what we want,” he added. This Stingers group is one that does not get phased easily and is already looking forward to their next matchup after the tough loss they were handed.
“I can’t wait to see how the guys are gonna react after this,” — said Roy.
This was another taste of adversity for a team that has played in tightly contested games all season. “We all have one goal, and this loss doesn’t [change] that goal,” he added.
The Stingers next football game will be played on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Concordia Stadium against the Université de Montréal Carabins. The two teams last faced off on Sept. 10 with Concordia winning in comeback fashion, 31-28.
