After a 3-0 loss to McGill for the women’s team, the men’s team took the field.
After a 3-0 defeat for the women’s soccer team, the men kicked off their last home game of the season on Oct. 18.
They started strong, with the Stingers’ quick first attempt blocked by a McGill header. The Redbirds quickly responded with a fast-paced left-wing shot; however, they failed to find a finisher in front of the net.
After some free kicks and more missed chances from both sides, a foul on the surface earned McGill a penalty. Striker Maher Fares tried his luck and saw his shot blocked by Stingers goalkeeper Jordyn Kerlegrand. However, the ball slipped from his hand, and Fares’ quick reflexes led to another shot, finding the back of the net for McGill’s first goal.
A foul by McGill defender Martin Baudelet was handed the game’s first yellow card in the 32nd minute. Shortly after, Concordia’s Teevan Rakoto Rina was forced out of the game due to injury. The loss of the midfielder, who had an excellent performance, was a blow to the team’s attacking force.
After a yellow card for Stingers midfielder Razvan Colici, midfielder Olivier Roy tried his luck in a one-on-one against the McGill goalie, who swept him off his feet and provoked an injury for the attacker, who had to leave the field right before the half-time break. It was 1-0 for McGill.
Despite two massive losses in offence for the Stingers, the team managed to score a goal at the very start of the second half, but it was ruled offside.
McGill’s striker Fares got a yellow card after a foul, and following more missed chances from both sides, a foul got Colici his second yellow, leading to a red card and his exclusion from the pitch.
“It was a very physical game against a team that knows how to use their bodies well,” Stingers captain Lundon Browne said. “The constant fouls are what killed us.”
This led to domination by McGill, who attacked the Stingers’ defence repeatedly, provoking great saves by Kerlegrand. However, even with 10 men, the Redbirds failed to find the back of the net again, and Concordia got back into creating big chances.
Stingers midfielder Obeng Tabi kept pushing on his wing, and the team’s efforts to score doubled in the last 15 minutes. But McGill soon got back into the game, and forward Aymane Mekkaoui missed an amazing opportunity for the Stingers to equalize in added time.
“The red card and the penalty were unfortunate calls. When you look at how the game went, we created more chances, we dominated,” Stingers head coach Kouyabe Ignegongba said. “We can only ask the players to keep putting in the same type of effort, and the results will follow.”
The game, which was also a toy drive, marked the end of a two-week fundraising campaign.
“We gather money for destitute children and give it to an organization, which then buys toys for them,” Stingers goalkeeper Jordyn Kerlegrand said.“We try to give back to the community more recently and outside the field as well. We put that together with the coach.”
After a 1-0 win at UQAM this Sunday, the Stingers will be back on the field for playoffs against Montreal on Oct. 25.
