Women’s Soccer: Playoffs Slipping Away?

Stingers Lose 2-0 to UdeM Carabins at Concordia Stadium

SportsNick Pevato — Published October 7, 2015

“Defensively, we didn’t give them much of a chance but I think we could have played better offensively.” Carabins midfielder Lina Theriault said.

The Stingers, now with a record of 2-5-1, are seeing their playoff hopes fade away. Having been convincingly beaten 3-0 by the same Carabins team on Sept. 18, the Stingers fared much better at the Concordia Stadium.

“We lacked concentration in key moments,” Concordia defender and captain Alyssa Ruscio said.

Right from the get-go, Concordia were more composed on the ball, stringing together passes and moving forward with confidence. This was the type of play that eluded them greatly in the previous matchup.

However, the Stingers went down early. In the 15th minute, Maude Leblanc brushed off her defender and buried a shot from six yards out. It was Leblanc’s second goal against Concordia this year, as she also scored in an earlier matchup two weeks earlier.

10 minutes before the half, Concordia nearly found the equalizer. Lauren Lamontagne directed a header towards goal. It had keeper Josee-Anne Nantel-Legault beaten but not the post. The ball redirected off the upright and bounced into the gracious hands of the keeper.

“We hit the post and how often do you hit a post and the ball goes right into the goalie’s hands? Three inches the other way and it’s a goal,” Concordia head coach Jorge Sanchez said about the missed opportunity.

The teams would enter the break separated by Leblanc’s earlier tally.

Star Concordia player Kaitlyn Fournier again dictated most of Concordia’s forward advancements. On several times, she elected to test Nantel-Legault with long-range shots, but could not solve the Montreal goalkeeper.

In the 57th minute, Montreal would double their lead. Montreal midfielder Eve Levesque found the ball at her feet in front of the net after a failed clearance. With Concordia goalkeeper Olivia Desgroseilliers out of position, Levesque calmly slotted the ball into the empty goal.

The game would finish at 2-0, with Montreal having the better scoring chances in the last half hour.

The Carabins remained undefeated on the year after the victory and now boast a 5-0-3 record.

The Stingers remained in fifth position and are nine points back from fourth place McGill and the final playoff spot. Concordia has a chance to make up ground in the standings against the Martlets when they visit McGill at Percival-Molson Stadium this Friday night for a pivotal matchup.

“We told the girls, if there is any mathematical chance of making playoffs, we have to go beat McGill,” Sanchez said. “It is that simple.”