The Concordia Stingers’ women’s soccer team was delivered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in the final moments of their match versus the Université de Montréal Carabins squad at Concordia Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The loss put a dent in the Stingers’ hopes for a playoff spot, as they are now 10 points behind Sherbrooke, who occupy the fourth and final playoff spot.
After holding up for the men’s game earlier in the day, the rain began to fall on the pitch just as the game started. As the match went on, the rain started to get worse, progressing from a light drizzle to a chilly, autumn rain.
The first half was largely uneventful, save for chances by both teams that missed the net, or did not particularly perturb either keeper. Given the wet conditions, spectators seemed more concerned with keeping themselves as dry as possible, than watching the game. Some even began checking scores of the National Football League games and their fantasy football squads.
The second half was a lot more interesting, as Concordia broke out on the offensive with purpose to start the second half.
The Stingers finally broke the deadlock in the 68th minute, when fifth-year defender Philippa ‘Pip’ Lyttle opened the scoring. The crowd definitely got livelier toward the end, with certain parents showing more emotion than others, cheering their kids on.
Concordia seemed on their way to their fourth win of the year, and second in a row, until the 89th minute, when fourth-year defender/midfielder Steffy Roy-Ouellet managed to chip the ball past Stingers’ keeper Saby Dagenais.
The script was seemingly flipped from a well-deserved win to having it snatched in place of a tie game. Alas, it was not to be.
Moments later, in added time, Roy-Ouellet fired a strike into the back of the Concordia net, and a dagger into the hearts of the Concordia faithful who were on hand for the match. It capped off an exciting game, with a result that some wish could’ve been thrown the other way.
The Stingers’ next match is at home, against Université du Québec à Trois Rivières on Friday, Oct. 18.
