Stingers 20, Gaiters 5: The Stingers win their first game of the season
The Stingers men’s rugby team win a tough game against Bishop’s Gaiters
The Concordia University Stingers men’s rugby team has had a difficult start to the season. Still, the tide has begun to turn as they defeated the Bishop's University Gaiters in a gruelling battle.
A better part of the first half was a stalemate. Omar Mokri’s converted penalty gave Concordia the first points on the board. The Stingers broke into the end zone at the end of the half and scored the game's first try.
The Stingers built on that momentum in the second half, scoring another try to ice the game. The Gaiters put up a good fight but couldn’t contend with the Stingers, allowing Concordia to pick up their first win.
“Absolutely fantastic, that is a big relief and a really well-earned win for the boys,” Stingers head coach Marc Belvedere said. “We played our structure really well. We played with some great intent to go forward. And when we made mistakes, we were able to recover from them well.”
The win is a significant boost for the Stingers heading into the second half of the season after a crushing defeat in their last outing against McGill University.
“I think it's big momentum considering we lost by two against McGill in a heartbreaker,” scrum half Jack Weller said. “I think it's good momentum to go forward and play UdeM [Université de Montréal] next, and we play Carlton [University] after that, and then hopefully we win those two, and playoffs after that.”
The Stingers came into the game ready to execute their game plan, and it led them to a convincing win against Bishop’s.
“Game plan was to get the ball out wide,” forward Jaxon Alexander said. “These guys are big guys, but they only run straight lines; we get around them and try and beat them in the corners.”
The Stingers' first try of the game came from the right corner, a testament to the team's chemistry and ability to execute. This feat hasn’t gone unnoticed by Belvedere.
“Fantastic. This is some of the best team chemistry I’ve ever been a part of at any level,” Belvedere said. “This is a really unique group, and I’m really happy to be a part of it.”
This performance inspired Concordia’s head coach as he looks forward to the rest of the season.
“[I’m feeling] obviously super optimistic. Next week we go into UdeM, and I think we’re going to go there and give them a really big game at home," Belvedere said. "Then we finish the season with Carlton, and I think that's a great trip for us as well, so it's all on the way up from here.”
The Stingers’ game against UdeM will be on Oct. 11, away at CEPSUM. Kick-off is set for 3 p.m.
4_600_375_90_s_c1.jpg)