UQTR 2, Concordia 1: Stingers Suffer First Loss of the Season in Physical Affair
Midfielder Claudia Asselin Scores Team’s First Goal This Season in a Losing Effort
Concordia’s women’s soccer squad came into Friday night’s game looking for their first win of the season after tying their first matchup Wednesday. Unfortunately, they suffered a loss at the hands of their opponents, the final score sitting at 2-1 in favour of Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières’ Patriotes.
Even though they suffered a frustrating lost, head coach Greg Sutton commended his team as “they showed character to get back into the game in the second half.”
“It was tough, we gave up a couple goals in the first half,” said Sutton. “It was going to be a tough climb back, we made a good effort, but obviously, the red card made it more difficult in the second half.”
This red card was awarded to second-year player Claudia Asselin just over a minute after she scored the Stingers’ first goal of the regular season. Despite being handed the red card, she played a strong game, putting good offensive pressure throughout her time on the field.
“It feels good. It feels really good, but the red card does not,” said Asselin when asked about her impressions on scoring the team’s first goal of the year.
After already getting booked for a yellow card in the 21st minute, Asselin was awarded her second yellow card of the night when the referee called a foul on her in the 75th minute.
“The first one was [fair] because I ran into the goalie,” said Asselin. “The second one, I touched the ball first so it shouldn’t have been a yellow card. I’m still [upset] about it, but that’s life.”
This is a sentiment that was shared by fourth-year veteran and acting captain for this match, Courtney Lundell-Streeter.
“I thought it was a weak call, she got the ball, I didn’t think it deserved a [card],” she said.
The ejection really came as a back breaker for the Stingers. Asselin had just revived her squad’s hope with a brace in the 74th minute bringing them within a goal of their opponents.
Her reaction to her ejection also attracted the attention of fans as she kicked a garbage can out of anger with the call.
“She’s a competitor, she wants to win,” said Sutton about Asselin’s reaction to the ejection. “It’s just the heat of the moment and I appreciate that passion,” he added.
After the game, Asselin reflected on her reaction to the call on the field.
“Right now I’m more calm, but I’m still [upset] about it,” she explained.
“I’m really emotional about it [because] I felt like I let my team down,” she added. “But at the end of the day, [my teammates] told me they weren’t mad about it.”
Coach Sutton also added that Asselin “was disappointed in her reaction and she apologized for what she did.”
Even though the team didn’t manage to pull through with a win this time, the Stingers are looking ahead to future challenges.
“Yeah, I think so,” said Lundell-Streeter on the teams chances of bouncing back. “We showed at the end that we were really fighting for it event though we were a man down.”
“As long as we work hard and improve on our possession, we should be good,” Lundell-Streeter added.
“I know these girls have [what it takes], they have that identity and we gotta continue to get better in certain areas,” said Sutton on the improvements needed from his team.
The Stingers will get another chance at victory next Friday when they visit the Université de Sherbrooke Vert et Or. This is set to be yet another double header for Concordia’s soccer teams, however, the women’s squads will get to kickoff first this time, as their matchup is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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