Stingers 45, Ravens 0: Concordia routs Carleton in home opening shutout

Men’s rugby team defeats Carleton in first home game of the season

SportsNicolas Brunetti — Published September 24, 2025 0 minutes

Following a rather uncommon draw in their season opener against the Université de Montréal Carabins, the Stingers’ starting XV came out fast, moving the ball to the perimeter to exploit their superior speed. This led to numerous gashing, long runs which the Stingers converted to points on the scoreboard, putting up a blistering 38 points in the first half. 

Despite the large point discrepancy at the half, nothing was taken for granted. Even as the explosive offence cooled in the second half following several substitutions and adjustments from both sides, Concordia’s defence remained relentless and stingy, continuing to dictate the pace of play with hard line speed and surgical tackling. 

The team successfully stymied Carleton from putting up any points of their own, though spotty kicking by the Ravens also played a factor. The set-piece play was a mixed bag, as misexecution in the lineouts led to a couple of turnovers, which slowed momentum. However, the scrumming was steadfast throughout all 80 minutes.

Both veterans and rookies alike added major contributions to the win. Crafty scrum-half Jack Weller opened the scoring, passing the ball to Mason Moffat, who went for a big run down the right sideline and then returned the favour inside five metres for the score.

Fourth-year forwards Jackson Veinot and Jaxon Alexander both punched in tries by the goal line while Michael Cavaliere chased down a kick through the defensive line to add to a strong outing for the backs. Rookie speedsters Kalan Despa and Chris MacGregor both scored on long runs, beating the defence around the corner to open paths to the try zone. 

MacGregor’s second try of the game was the only score of the second half. The play began inside the Stingers’ try zone after what had appeared to be a surefire Ravens score, putting an exclamation mark on Concordia’s first win of the season. 

“I thought we were pretty electric in the first half,” MacGregor said after his first game. “We got slowed when the second half began, but we still came out with the win, and that’s all that matters.” 

Head coach Marc Belvedere addressed the apparent offensive stagnation after 40 minutes.

“We made a lot of changes at the half, it’s just difficult to maintain continuity in situations like that,” he said. “The effort was still very high, the intent was actually very on point. It was just a case of having those last centimetre connections—and that’s always going to happen when you make changes like that.” 

The men’s rugby team’s bye week came early in their season, just after the opener. While the timing wasn’t ideal, Belvedere said it could prove vital in building momentum going into the rest of the season, particularly for the younger players.

“I think it provided a lot of extra training time in a lower-pressure environment,” Belvedere said.  “I think it’s going to be the strength of our team this year, our depth and the ability to run our 40-man roster instead of being stuck trying to ride 15 players through each game.”

Another rookie who had a big impact was 17-year-old lock Khaled Abu-Yahia, who played all 80 minutes in relief of fellow rookie Logan Scarlette, who went down with an injury against Université de Montréal in week one. 

“It’s a great feeling, especially being a rookie who just started his university rugby career,” Abu-Yahia said about earning the trust of his coach. “There’s a lot of learning to be done, and I really think that this team can go somewhere.” 

The team looks to take that momentum into a big week of preparation as they are slated to face the No. 2 nationally ranked École de technologie supérieure Piranhas on Sept. 28. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.