Sherbrooke snaps Concordia’s three-game streak

Photo by Brianna Thicke. Courtesy of stingers.ca

The Stingers women’s soccer team followed up their last victory with a 3-0 loss against Sherbrooke on Sunday. In a match played at Concordia Stadium, the Vert et Or scored three second-half goals to secure a win.

Head coach Jorge Sanchez opted for a different formation to start this match. Concordia lined up 4-1-4-1, with Saby Dagenais as the goalkeeper. Gabriela Padvaiskas led the attack, playing ahead of Melissa Kedro, Jennifer Duff, Kayla Myre, Alexandra Dragan and Valerie Ishak. The defense stayed the same with Katrina Filiatrault, Elizabeth McDonald, Shannon Travers and Lindsey Brooks.

Concordia survived a scare early in the match. Five minutes in, a quickly taken Sherbrooke free kick resulted in a tap-in goal. Fortunately for the Stingers, the assistant referee had his flag up signaling an offside.

The next chance came in the 33rd minute. A Vert et Or midfielder sent in a low cross, which was unable to be converted by forward Chloé Belhumeur Limoges.

One minute later, Sherbrooke’s Marie-Eve Jacques received a through ball and set off towards the Concordia net. Her weak shot was easily handled by Dagenais.

Despite being outplayed throughout the first 45 minutes, the Stingers managed to keep the match scoreless.

The visitors turned up the pressure in the second half. Two minutes in, the Vert et Or struck the crossbar twice in one play. Concordia’s defense was left scrambling, but they somehow managed to keep the ball out of the goal.

Concordia had their first major opportunity in the 55th minute. Myre received a good pass, found some space, but her shot was blocked in front by a Sherbrooke defender.

In the 69th minute, the Vert et Or finally found finished one of their chances. Midfielder Camille Vandenberghe found time and space outside the Stingers box and accurately placed her shot to the right of Dagenais.

Concordia almost tied the game from a corner kick eight minutes later. The ball bounced to substitute Shauna Zilversmit who quickly fired a shot. It went over the bar.

In the 78th minute, Sherbrooke added a second goal. Midfielder Andréanne Gagné dribbled through the middle and shot from 25 yards out. Dagenais was unable to stop the powerful blast.

One minute later, the Vert et Or took advantage of the frustrated Stingers team. Substitute Isabelle Genest made a good run down the right wing. She delivered a perfect cross to an unmarked Belhumeur Limoges who made no mistake heading the ball in from close range.

The first goal deflated the Stingers, as they conceded two more in the span of ten minutes. It was only a matter of time before Sherbrooke scored. Concordia was poor in transitioning from the back to the front, often giving away possession in bad spots. The visitors were constantly testing Dagenais with shots and crosses.

“We knew we were going to give up a lot defensively,” said Sanchez. “Our goal was to not break, keep the ball in front of us, defend well and hope to get one or two good chances up the field.”

Despite being outplayed at times, the Stingers did show some flashes of brilliance. Sanchez believes the team has to make better decisions when they have the ball in the attacking third.

“I think we’re progressing,” he said. “Even when we were struggling, we were still able to link passes together. I think we’re just missing that killer instinct in the last 20 yards of the field.”

The Stingers join the men’s team on the road in Quebec City and TroisRivières this coming weekend. The action begins on Friday evening against the Université de Laval, followed by an afternoon visit to face the UQTR Patriotes on Sunday. Both games are available for viewing online.

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