Laval’s Milo leaves Stingers buzzed

Wide receiver Tony Testa scored a touchdown and Rene Paredes kicked two field goals, but their efforts weren’t enough as the No. 7 Concordia Stingers fell to the No.1-ranked Laval Rouge et Or during Saturday’s football homecoming game by a score of 36-13.
Quarterback Liam Mahoney played a shaky match for the first time this season, but head coach Gerry McGrath said his men lost as a team.
“I was really disappointed in our lack of composure. We took some selfish penalties and we didn’t protect the football, which is something we always ask for, so I’m very disappointed in our play,” said McGrath after the game.
For the third time this season, the Stingers played a flat first quarter. Both teams failed to produce any offence during the game’s opening moments, but Laval’s Christopher Milo kicked a 24-yard field goal with 6:45 left to play in the first quarter, allowing his team to enter the second quarter with a four-point lead.
The Stingers managed to get on the scoreboard early in the second with a 34-yard field goal by Paredes. Milo answered back however by completing a 35-yard field goal, once again allowing the Rouge et Or to pull ahead by four.
The rest of the game was almost all Rouge et Or. With 35 seconds left to play in the first half, Laval’s Julian Gudino scored his first touchdown of the game off a 60-yard pass by quarterback Benoit Groulx. Milo added yet another field goal at the end of the first half, giving his team a two-touchdown lead entering the second.
Milo dominated the third quarter with three field goals totaling 85 yards, allowing the Rouge et Or to enter the final quarter with a comfortable 23-point lead.
The Stingers barely closed in on Laval with a 37-yard field goal by Paredes, but, with 12:09 left to play in the match, Gudino scored his second touchdown and Milo kicked his seventh field goal less than three minutes later, all but sealing Laval’s victory.
The Stingers ended their game on a more-or-less positive note with 1:25 left to play when Testa caught a 28-yard touchdown pass by Mahoney, but it was too little, too late for the quarterback and his Stingers.
Mahoney rushed for 40 yards and completed only 17 of his 28 passes. Laval intercepted two of his attempts and sacked the Stingers quarterback four times.
Nevertheless, the Stingers will have to work as a team in order to correct the mistakes they made on Saturday.
Turnovers and penalties are an ongoing problem for Concordia, and it is no doubt something coach McGrath will have to work on with his team before their next game.
“We played a bad game, but we have to put it behind us. We have to fix it, make the corrections and move forward for next week,” said McGrath, whose team committed two fumbles on Saturday.
Linebacker Cory Greenwood, who was named the Stingers’ defensive player of the game and homecoming MVP, is also looking ahead and putting Saturday’s game behind him.
“Laval’s a great team and they’ll take advantage of you if you can’t capitalize on your assignments. We have a great coaching staff so we’re definitely going to turn it around, fix all the holes and do everything we can to complete our assignments.
The Stingers will conclude their home and home series with the Rouge et Or this Sunday in Quebec City.