The Concordia Stingers men’s soccer team continued their unbeaten streak in the indoor season with a 1-1 draw against the Montreal Impact Academy on Sunday at the Stinger Dome.
The game started with relentless pressure from both teams, neither getting the better of the other. Both had their share of chances early on. Concordia’s Sammy Tork had a great chance in the third minute, passing a player and hitting a shot over the woodwork.
The first half continued with most of the game being played in the middle and both teams struggling to get anything past the defence. Concordia’s persistent pressure almost paid off a few times, but unlucky bounces and scrambles in front of the net kept the ball out.
“We had a couple of chances that we could’ve put away and that could’ve ended the game a lot earlier,” said Concordia head coach Greg Sutton.
Concordia’s Andrew Bryan dominated the middle of the field, winning almost every header and creating decent chances for his side.
The Impact’s best chance of the half came in the 26th minute, when Felix Cardin shot a bullet that forced a great save out of Stingers keeper Nicholas Giannone. He also scrambled to save the rebound, keeping the score level.
The half ended with both teams scoreless going into the second.
The Stingers started the second much like the first; their pressure leading to a great strike by Concordia defender Chris Mirasyedi, forcing a great save by the Impact keeper.
The Impact started putting pressure on Concordia after the close call and they stunned the Stingers in the 57th minute with the first goal of the game. A cross from 50 yards out was met with a header by Cardin, who proceeded to slot away his own rebound.
The goal brought life to the Impact, increasing their tempo as they tried to go for another goal. The Stingers defence was pushed back quite a few times, desperately defending against the attacking waves.
Concordia managed to hold on and earned themselves a corner in the 70th minute. After the usual pushing and shoving in the box, two Stingers players were found on the floor, leading to the referee calling a penalty.
Stingers forward Andrew Bryan, who had been dominant, stepped up to take the kick from the spot, only to shoot it wide. Frustrated, he screamed—an opportunity gone astray.
However, he was not to be denied again.
With only 12 minutes remaining, Bryan sprinted down the left side and crossed it. Luckily, the ball deflected off the Impact’s Cardin and found its way into the back of the net.
“Overall, it’s good to see that we were able to come back and get that tying goal,” said Sutton.
In the end, it wasn’t meant to be for the Stingers and the game ended in a stalemate.
“I think we put in a decent effort today, ” said Sutton. “This is the beginning of our winter season and we’re not training on a daily basis, you could tell they were getting tired there near the end.”
The Stingers have a win and a draw to start the winter season, something Sutton is proud of.
“We’ve seen positive results, so far we didn’t do too bad. Of course, there are places we need to work on more, but overall, I’m pretty happy with the performance.”
Concordia’s indoor season will continue on Sunday Jan. 27 when the Sherbrooke Vert-et-Or visit the Stinger Dome. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m., following the women’s game.
