The Stingers men’s soccer team suffered their sixth straight loss on Sunday, losing 6-2 at the hands of the province wide second-place Montreal Carabins.
The Carabins came out strong and dominated the first half. Their advantage in speed and height was absolutely no match for Concordia’s sloppy play.
The visiting Montreal side wasted no time getting on the score sheet. In the ninth minute, midfielder Paolo Demanga out-ran a Stingers defender to play a perfect ground cross to Damir Rosic, who then managed to squeeze it past Remo Taraschi in goal.
“We gave up an early goal, which is not the script you want to begin a game,” said Assistant Coach Greg Sutton.
The Carabins showed no signs of letting up the pressure. In the 18th minute, Abdoul Bah fired a shot that just went over the bar.
Concordia struggled offensively, sending long balls that had almost no hope of finding a striker. Their best chances would come in the form of free-kicks, all taken by midfielder Joseph Couto. The only goals scored off these chances were field-goals.
The Carabins had a free kick of their own in 27th minute. Maxime Laurey showed the Stingers how it’s done by perfectly placing the ball in the bottom left corner of the net, leaving Taraschi with no chance.
The visitors kept on their relentless pressure, backing a hopeless looking Stingers defense to the goal line more than once. Just as the first half was about to end, Rosic was found alone with the Stingers keeper and effortlessly placed a shot in the right corner, putting the Carabins up 3-0 at the half.
The second half was a completely different game.
It started much like the first did. A perfect cross from a Carabins midfielder saw Vincent de Bruille completely unmarked and he smoothly tucked the ball into the right corner. It was now 4-0, and all hope was lost.
That’s when the game changed, and the Stingers found a spark.
“We had to change our game plan up, going into the second half,” said Sutton.
It took but one minute for Concordia to get a goal back. Stingers defender Enos Osei found himself with the ball after a nice passing play in midfield. He had time, picked his spot, and triggered a low shot that found the back of the net. The goal ended Montreal’s chance of keeping a clean sheet.
The goal sparked the fire even more, and with 40 minutes remaining, the Stingers took control of the game and became the dominating team. They won one-on-one battles and were first on the ball – aspects of their game that were non-existent in the first half.
“The guys were committed a little bit more and I think that we worked harder than Montreal in the second,” said Sutton. “We were able to come back and get some goals.”
The Carabins keeper, frustrated with the relentless pressure coming from the Stingers, went on to kick Stingers defender Jayson Gallahue, earning him a yellow card and giving Concordia a penalty kick in the 60th minute. Ramin Mohsenin easily put it in the back of the net, and Concordia were well on their way for an amazing comeback. At least, the fans thought so.
Head coach Lloyd Barker put on another striker to try and make the pressure stronger. A pair of chances in the 66th and 70th minutes saw Concordia’s attempts miss just wide.
As the time wound down, Carabins striker Alexandre Kénol took matters into his own hands, outrunning Stingers defenders to then tuck it in off the post on the keeper’s right side.
To make matters worse, Stingers defender Mohsenin committed a foul in the box in stoppage time, earning him his second yellow card and a sending-off. The game ended with Carabins striker blasting it in from the spot to make the final score of 6-2.
Concordia now sits dead last in the conference with only three games remaining. Their next game will be on Sunday, Oct. 21, against UQÀM at Concordia Stadium.
