Stingers vs. Citadins: Both teams tie it up 2-2 in soccer
The men’s team experienced a comeback and the women’s team fought neck-to-neck against UQAM
The Stingers’ women’s and men’s soccer teams battled hard against the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) Citadins in their doubleheader on Sept. 10 at Concordia Stadium. Penalties, missed chances, and late game heroics stifled the Stingers from leaving with wins.
The men's team opened the doubleheader. An early unassisted goal at the four-minute mark from Citadins forward Nikita Kopyl put the Stingers in hot water.
Concordia's attack line made multiple attempts to tie up the score, but couldn’t break through the Citadins’ defence. In the first corner of the game, Stingers’ midfielder Quentin Bourgeais took a beautifully targeted kick, but a header from Stingers’ defender Zackiel Brault tipped it high over the net.
Despite having less possession so far, the Citadins were able to make the most of their time in Stingers territory. At the 42-minute mark, Citadins forward Timothé Makanzu-Tina intercepted a pass from Stingers’ goalkeeper Jordy Kerlegrand. Citadins’ forward Alexis Jeanne received the feed from Makanzu-Tina, tipping it in the net. UQAM led 2-0 at halftime.
In the second half, the Stingers suffered from a lack of creativity in their attack. At the 80-minute mark, however, a beacon of hope illuminated the field when a header from Stingers’ defender Luckson Villus, gracefully assisted by fellow defender Razvan Colici, finally made it past Citadins’ goalkeeper Martin Cantona.
Only four minutes after this breakthrough, a header from Stingers’ forward Jared Leheta, assisted once again by Colici, quickly tied up the game.
Two yellow cards and multiple missed chances from both teams later, the match ended in a 2-2 scoreline, despite the mini-remontada from the Stingers..
“We got unlucky in the first half,” said Stingers’ midfielder Mahdi Djellab. “We tried our best and stuck to our style.”
Closing out the doubleheader, the women’s team took to the field. The match started off with multiple missed opportunities from UQAM and an amazing one-on-one save from Concordia's goalkeeper Rosalie Girouard.
At the 19-minute mark, the Stingers were the first on the scoreboard, with splendid teamwork between forward Rachel Vermaire, who picked up her fifth goal in three days, and her assist-providing midfielder, twin sister Devon Vermaire.
The defensive efforts from Concordia were remarkable, especially from captain Dayne Lebans who cleared out a one-on-one situation in her box. Girouard also made an amazing save, stopping a dangerous attempt from UQAM forward Audrey-Anne Lafond with her foot, deflecting the ball away from the box minutes before half-time.
As the second half started, a foul from Stingers’ defender Amélya Mariette led to an immediate penalty for the Citadins. The shot by defender Léonie Richard got UQAM back on track with a 1-1 score.
Shortly after, a corner by Stingers’ midfielder Alexiane Tremblay was quickly transformed into a needed goal by defender Ava Campione, giving the lead to her team 2-1. UQAM rallied in the last seconds of full time when a corner kick shot by Richard was deflected into the net by Citadins’ defender Alexandra Provençal. The game ended in a brace, 2-2.
'We could've done better in both games, of course,” said head coach Greg Sutton. “But, it's still a point, and each point is important. There's no excuse.”
Both the women’s and men’s soccer teams will play their next game at the Université de Sherbrooke against the Vert et Or on Friday, Sept. 15. The women’s team will kick things off first at 6 p.m.
