The 2012-13 soccer season at Concordia was one of the best of the past few years with both the men’s and women’s teams vastly improving compared to previous seasons. Although finishing the regular season in last place, the men’s team catapulted into the playoffs due to roster problems with McGill, Université de Montréal and Sherbrooke. The women’s team was two wins away from the post-season.
Men’s soccer
Headed by a technical staff featuring head coach Lloyd Barker and assistants François Bastien and Greg Sutton, the Stingers men’s soccer team had playoff expectations before the start of the year.
After dropping the season-opener 0-5 to Université de Montréal, Concordia was able to bounce back and go undefeated for the next three matches. Five straight losses after that crushed the team’s hopes of making the playoffs.
The men’s side ended the season with two victories, eight losses and two draws. Days after the end of the regular season, McGill and Montréal were forced to forfeit most of their wins for using an ineligible player. Both sides, therefore, were given losses for every match the ineligible players participated in. As a result, the Stingers were given three more victories and ended the season with a new record of five wins, six losses and one draw.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Stingers lost to the first-place Laval Rouge et Or one-nil. An own goal right before halftime was the difference.
Striker Andrew Bryan led the team in scoring with five goals in nine appearances. He was named to RSEQ’s first all-star team and was named a second team all-Canadian by the CIS.
Women’s soccer
The women’s soccer team was the better-of-the-two team this fall. Head coach Jorge Sanchez and assistants Alex Eskanazi, David Cerasuolo and Sabrina Cerasuolo led the team to a record of six wins, five losses and three draws. The team’s 21 points was their best since 2005.
Like the men’s team, the women’s team lost their opening game to Université de Montréal by the same 0-5 scoreline. In the next three matches, the team would collect two wins and one draw. Concordia remained in the playoff hunt for the entire season by never losing more than two matches in a row.
The team’s playoff hopes came down to the final match of the season. They faced the Laval Rouge et Or, who were three points ahead and occupied the final place in the standings. With a victory, Concordia would have swapped places with Laval. Unfortunately, the Stingers lost the game 0-2 at home.
Striker Jennifer Duff was a key component to the team’s success. She ended the season with 12 goals, which was the second highest in the league. Duff was the only Stingers player named to RSEQ’s all-star team.
Both the men’s and women’s team will take the months of November and December off before returning in January for the RSEQ interior season. The action starts on Sunday, Jan. 13, when the women’s team plays the McGill Martlets at the Stinger Dome. The men’s team plays right after at 3 p.m. against the Redmen.
