Stingers vs. Vert et Or: Women lose 1-2, men held to 1-1 draw in soccer
Men’s playoffs hope still alive
Both Stingers soccer teams looked to bounce back from losses as they faced the Sherbrooke Vert et Or on Oct. 13 at Concordia Stadium. The women narrowly lost a hard-fought battle, while the men’s playoffs dream was dealt a huge blow.
The Stingers’ women’s soccer team kicked off the double header against the Vert et Or. The Stingers failed to create chances in the attacking third early in the game and the Vert et Or got on the board first.
At the 40-minute mark, Vert et Or’s forward Marilou Dugrenier sprinted down the left flank and played a pinpoint pass to fellow forward Marie-Jeanne Trifiro, who gave the visitors the lead. The Vert et Or played aggressively and Dugrenier got booked for a rough challenge on Stingers’ defender Devon Vermaire.
The Stingers looked much better in the second half. Fourth-year forward and captain Sara Carrière picked up a shoulder injury six minutes after the restart, but continued playing.
“Sara got an AC joint [injury]. We’re going to see how she’s going to do. Not sure if she’ll be available for us on Sunday,” said head coach Greg Sutton, referring to the Stingers’ next game against Bishop’s University Gaiters on Oct. 15.
With 11 minutes of regulation time remaining, the Vert et Or’s defence miscued a clearance after a Stingers corner and the ball bounced perfectly for Rachel Vermaire, who volleyed it past goalkeeper Jenny Harrison to tie the game at one.
Four minutes later, it was Dugrenier once again who played the ball past Stingers keeper Rosalie Girouard to find fellow forward Andréa Roy, who rolled it into an empty net. The Vert et Or held on to their lead to secure the three points.
“We [got] the most unlucky chances; we get to the end of the [pitch] and we can’t find the back of the net. We just [got] unlucky,” said Stingers defender Maïa-Jazmine Fortier-Tam.
“We possessed the ball [and] controlled the game, frankly. We had trouble in their final third generating the final scoring chance,” Sutton said.
Taking the field after the women’s game, the men’s team got off to a much better start. Stingers rookie midfielder Mahdi Djellab won a penalty as he was tripped by David Harrison inside the box. Djellab calmly slotted in his first Stingers goal from the penalty spot 34 minutes in.
“I enjoyed the moment. It was my first goal. The whole team helped me. They gave me the chance to score it,” said Djellab.
The Stingers continued to push forward in the second half. Djellab’s low shot was saved by Vert et Or goalkeeper Thomas Goddaert, who made four important saves during the game.
Eventually, Vert et Or midfielder Étienne Tremblay’s long-range effort found the top-right corner of the goal in added time against the run of play. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.
“We dominated the game. [The game was] a microcosm of our season. We were generating opportunities, but it’s the final touch [where] we need to do better,” Sutton said, echoing some similar sentiments from the women’s game.
Université Laval’s 1-1 draw against the Université de Montréal Carabins on Oct.15 means that Concordia would qualify for the playoffs if they defeat Laval on Oct. 20.
“We still have hopes for [the] playoffs. If Laval ties on Sunday, we’re still in it. We have to go to Laval to get a win and we’re in the playoffs,” said Stingers midfielder and captain John Cevik.
As the season draws to a close, the women’s squad lost 0-2 to the Bishop’s University Gaiters on Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. Their last game of the season against Laval will take place on the road at 6 p.m. and the men’s team will play a must-win game after the women’s on Oct. 20 at 8:15 p.m.
