Stingers 0, Rouge et Or 2: Concordia faces second loss of new season
Stingers concede two goals after goalkeeper Rosalie Girouard is ejected in the first half
The Concordia Stingers women’s soccer team faced an emotional 2-0 defeat against the Laval Rouge et Or in their third home game of the season on Sept. 6.
Laval scored both goals in the first half after Stingers goalkeeper Rosalie Girouard was shown a red card for tackling Laval forward Émilie Grondines just outside the penalty area. Girouard played only 20 minutes before being ejected.
“Very unexpected,” Stingers assistant coach Kayleigh Metcalfe said of the early dismissal.
Even more unexpected, the dismissal paved the way for Concordia’s backup goalkeeper, Èvelyn Parry, to make her first-ever regular season appearance. Parry, who transferred from the University of Kentucky in winter 2024 and is playing her first season with the Stingers, stopped 10 of 12 shots on goal during the remaining 70 minutes of play.
“My first thought was, ‘Oh my goodness, this isn’t happening, this isn’t real,’” Parry said about her thoughts as she walked on to replace Girouard. “But as soon as I walked on, I’ve played hundreds of soccer games in my life, so the only thing I could tell myself was, ‘This is just another game.’”
“[Parry] handled it very well,” Metcalfe said. “She stayed composed. [...] She was aggressive in her [goal], she communicated well, and she kept a level head.”
The first shot Parry faced was a free kick from Laval midfielder Geneviève Girard, which gave Laval their first goal of the match. Just 10 minutes later, Grondines scored Laval’s second and final goal.
“I’ve been working on my mental toughness for a while now,” Parry said. “I told myself, ‘You know, it’s your first game, you’re gonna make mistakes, and it’s not about the mistake, it’s about what you do after.’ I think a couple of the saves I did after made up for it.”
Parry put up a formidable performance throughout the second half of the match. Unfortunately, Concordia’s offence had difficulty finding the back of the net, leading to the team’s second loss of the season. Their record now stands at one draw and two losses.
“We’re going to take everything week by week, game by game,” Metcalfe said after the match. “Every game we’re finding ways in which the players are adapting and improving. [...] We’re trying to find those moments, highlight those moments, and there’s more of them every game.”
The Stingers’ next match will be at Université de Montréal on Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. Their next home game will be against Université du Québec à Montréal on Sept. 22.
