The Concordia Stingers were in tough for their playoff meeting against the number three ranked team in the nation and also Quebec champions McGill Marlets. But eventually came up on the short end of a 3-0 defeat.
Concordia was led into battle with All-Stars captain Melanie Poirier, Erica Geersteen and Skye Moseley. While the Marlets had six All-Stars including co-player of the year, Shari Fraser.
On one of the coldest days of the year so far, the McGill fans came out in full force to support their favoured Martlets. They were loud from the onset and just got louder and perhaps drunker as the game wore on.
The Stingers started out the game very strong and determined putting the pressure on the Martlets straight off the opening whistle, with most of the play being in the Martlets side of half. In the 8th minute the Stingers had a great chance to score, but they sailed a header just wide of the goal. They continued to press the play and in the 15th minute, a harmlessly looking ball went back to keeper Melissa Morgan, and a lack of communication between the Stingers defense and keeper led to the ball deflecting off the defender and right to the Martlet player, which had an open net and scored an easy goal for McGill. This was the second of three goals for striker Jennifer White. That goal seemed to be the difference in the game. It propelled the Martlets from their poor start and it looked like it took the wind out of the the Stingers’ sails. From that moment on the game would go in the Martlets favor.
McGill would strike again just five minutes later. Another break down in the Stingers half led to White’s second of the night. The Stingers had few chances in the first half, but their best efforts came in the 30th minute when Poirier had a free kick from about 30 yards out, but it was easily saved by the Martlet keeper. In the 38th minute, striker Julie Pawlusiak got a partial breakaway that induced a terrific save from the Martlet keeper. At the half the score read 2-0 for the Martlets.
As the second half started there seemed to be more Martlet fans in the crowd than before as the crowd gave a big advantage to the home side.
The Martlets controlled the tempo and had possession of the ball for most of the game. The only thing the Stingers did was send the ball long and watch the strikers run to it and see what they could muster up.
In the 66th minute White completed her hat-trick, with an unlucky goal given up by the Stingers. A sensational shot from about 25 yards out which hit the crossbar, deflected off the back of the keeper and went into the back of the net.
Credit must be give to the Stingers for enduring the crowd and never giving up. “Start the bus” and “na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye” were some of the heckling remarks said by Martlet fans.
Their last ditch effort to get on the score sheet was in the 83rd minute when Tania Pascuzzo had a great effort putting her shot into the side netting, but that’s as close as the Stingers would come.
The Stingers end their season with a record of 8-5-1 and 0-1 in the playoffs.
