Author: Kevin Duarte

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Stingers’ athletes of the year

Men’s basketball – Evens Laroche

Evens Laroche was always consistent in what was an up and down season for the Stingers this year. He started 13 of 15 games and led the team with an average of 15.1 points per game. Laroche was second in terms of minutes played and led the team in steals. He was named an RSEQ first team all-star.

Women’s basketball – Kaylah Barrett

Kaylah Barrett was influential in the Stingers making it to the RSEQ championship game. Barrett led the team averaging 15.3 points per game. She also led the Stingers in free throw percentage and attempts. Barrett was named RSEQ MVP and a a CIS first team all-Canadian for the second consecutive year, as well as a RSEQ first team all-star for the third year in a row.

Football – Nathan Taylor

Taylor, a fourth-year player from LaSalle, compiled solid statistics across the board this season, with 36.5 total tackles, along with three interceptions. He also recovered one fumble and played a supporting role in the kick return department. His strong campaign was recognized at the team’s awards banquet, where he won the team’s overall MVP award and was named this year’s most dedicated Stinger.

– Andrew Maggio, Concordian staff writer

Men’s hockey – Etienne Archambault

Etienne Archambault is the Stingers player of the year. The Sainte-Hyacinthe, native was the only Stinger to record double-digits in goal scoring with 11 points. After an impressive rookie campaign in which he recorded eight points in 10 games, the star forward finished the 2012-2013 season  on top the team’s scoring list with 21 points  in 25 games. Archambault will return to the maroon and gold next fall.

– Anthony Abbondanza, Concordian Staff Writer

Women’s hockey – Veronique Laramée-Paquette

In a disappointing season where the Concordia stingers could only muster up two wins, there were several standout players.One in particular was fifth year winger, Veronique Laramée-Paquette. The native of Mont. Tremblant, Laramée-Paquette led the team in goals, with a  total of six and in points with a total of 17. She was also a team asset in offense.

Women’s rugby – Bianca Farella 

Farella led the Stingers women’s rugby team to an RSEQ Championship win and fourth place at the nationals. In what was her rookie season at Concordia, she was an RSEQ all-star, CIS all-Canadian and CIS Rookie of the Year.

Men’s Rugby – Joseph Fulginiti

Joseph Fulginiti, center and kicker, led the Stingers with 40 total points this season. The Île-Bizard native scored one try, 10 conversions and five penalties. He was the third highest point getter in the RSEQ conference. He was named a conference all-star along with four of his teammates.

Men’s soccer – Andrew Bryan

Andrew Bryan joined the men’s soccer team in time for the 2012 season. In the outdoor fall season, he led the team with five goals and two assists. In the indoor winter season, he was even more lethal, finishing with five goals in six appearances. Bryan was a first team RSEQ all-star and a second team CIS all-Canadian.

Women’s soccer – Jennifer Duff

Jennifer Duff had a standout season with the Stingers. The striker led her side with 12 goals and three assists in 14 appearances in the fall season. In the indoor season, she scored four times in six matches. Duff was a first team RSEQ all-star and was recognized as an RSEQ and CIS athlete of the week in late October.

 

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Report card: A review of our Stingers teams

Men’s basketball – 6.5/10

After dominating RSEQ for the past two seasons, the same thing was expected from the men’s basketball team this season. The team struggled in the regular season finishing third place in the conference with a 9-7 record. The team lost in the first round of the playoffs and failed to defend their crown.

 

Women’s basketball – 8/10

There’s been nothing but improvement from the women’s basketball team over the last five seasons. The team finished the regular season in second place in the conference with an 11-5 record. This is three wins more than last season. The team went all the way to the RSEQ finals where they lost to McGill 51-48 in the final minute.

 

Football – 4/10

The football team’s season got off to a promising start, winning two of the first three games. However, midway through the season, the team was hit by a roster penalty and was forced to forfeit their first two wins, consequently ending their playoff chances. Without the roster violation, this team had potential to sneak into the playoffs.

 

Men’s hockey – 3.5/10

The men’s hockey team started the season with two straight wins. They followed that up by going on a 10-game losing streak. They were able to string a few wins together, making a run for the eighth and final OUA East playoff spot. They missed the post-season by three points.

 

Women’s hockey – 2.5/10

In the first half of the season, the women’s hockey team had seven points of a possible 20. The team lost the following and remaining 10 games in a row, leaving them in last place of the five-team RSEQ division.

 

Men’s rugby – 8/10

The men’s rugby team had a great regular season, finishing the RSEQ conference in first place. In the playoffs, the team cruised past Sherbrooke in the semi-finals and went on to face McGill for the third straight season in the finals. Concordia fell short, suffering a 24-18 loss at home.

 

Women’s rugby – 9/10 (Concordian‘s team of the season)

The women’s rugby team were one game away from having a perfect season. In the final game of the regular season, the squad faced the other undefeated team Laval Rouge et Or. Laval won the game and finished first. In the playoffs it was a different story. The Stingers faced the Rouge et Or in the finals and won, claiming their first RSEQ title since 2010. At the nationals, Concordia finished a respectable fourth place.

 

Men’s soccer – 5.5/10

In the fall season, it was a much more competitive Stingers side from previous years. Concordia still had some trouble, but roster problems with two other teams meant the Stingers made the playoff as the fourth and final seed. Concordia lost to Laval in the first round. In the winter season, the team kept improving, getting some very positive results against top sides.

 

Women’s soccer – 6.5/10

The women’s soccer team were the most improved team in their conference. Following a few consecutive season near the bottom of the table, the Stingers had their first over .500 record since 2005. They finished fifth place, two wins outside the playoffs. In the winter season, the team finished in fifth once more and lost in the first round of the playoffs.

 

Wrestling – 8.5/10

Both men’s and women’s wrestling teams were very successful at the CIS Nationals this year. David Tremblay, Jordan Steen and Linda Morais all won gold medals. Tremblay, who represented Canada at the 2012 Olympic Games, was named CIS outstanding male wrestler. Steen took rookie of the year honours. The men’s team finished fourth, while the women’s team finished 10th place.

 

Baseball – 7/10

The baseball team, competing as a club, finished the regular season with 11 wins and five losses. Their biggest win came against John Abbott College on Sep. 23, when they won 17-0. The team lost to the Carleton Ravens in the semi-finals of the playoffs.

 

 

 

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Up and down indoor season for women’s soccer team

Concordia Stingers women's soccer team play against the Montréal Carabins. Concordian file photo
Concordia Stingers women’s soccer team play against the Montréal Carabins. Concordian file photo

The Concordia Stingers women’s soccer team had mixed results in this year’s indoor season. The team was looking to build on a decent fall season, in which they barely missed the playoffs.

The indoor season started with three home fixtures against McGill, Sherbrooke and Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. In the season opener against rivals McGill, Concordia was on the wrong end of a three-nil score line.

Head coach Jorge Sanchez’s side stepped up their next two home matches, earning a 1-1 draw against Sherbrooke on Jan. 27 and picked up a deserved 3-1 victory against the Patriotes.

The following three matches to end the season were on the road to Montréal, UQAM and Laval. The Stingers struggled against the Carabins on Feb. 10 as they allowed two goals right before halftime. They would allow another in the second half to lose 3-0.

The weekend that followed, the Stingers made up for the big loss by hammering the UQAM Citadins four-nil. This was Concordia’s first clean sheet of the season and biggest victory.

In the final match of the season, the maroon and gold had a tricky road encounter against the Laval Rouge et Or in Quebec City. With both teams tied in fourth, the winner would secure home field in the playoffs. Concordia was handed a massive 7-0 loss. This was their worst loss in both the fall and winter seasons.

The fifth-place Stingers side had to rematch the Rouge et Or in the first round of the playoffs. ConU was unable to learn from their previous match and lost 3-0.

Concordia’s record, not including the playoffs, ended at two wins, three losses and one draw.

The Stingers have some positive and negative points to take from this season.

Going into the season Sanchez made it very clear his side was trying to ensure a more attacking style of play. The tactic had some pros and cons. When the team did score, they were able to usually score over two goals in those matches. The only down side was the Stingers only scored in three of their matches.

Concordia was shutout four times, including the playoff match against Laval. The Stingers ended the regular season with eight goals for and 15 against in their six matches. Half of these goals were scored by striker Jennifer Duff, who was named second team all-star by the league.

The goals against should worry the team going forward. Allowing an average of 2.5 goals per game will always make winning tough. The Stingers will need to tighten up the back ahead of the fall season.

Sanchez was trying to get his side playing attacking soccer, but it didn’t work as well as he would have hoped. Concordia does have one of the best strikers in the league, but the team will need even more firepower if they want to score goals consistently.

Focusing on the back line should be a priority. Employing defensive tactics doesn’t necessarily mean the team will be weaker than the opposition, but would rather make the team better organized and allow fewer goals. Conceding less will give ConU more chances of picking up points each match.

The maroon and gold will have until August to rest and recruit new players before the fall season begins in early September.

 

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Many positives to take away from indoor season

Soccer is the only sport at Concordia that has two seasons per year. The indoor soccer season played throughout the winter months is seen as a pre-season tune-up for the fall season.

For the Concordia Stingers men’s soccer team, this past indoor season was a chance to continue building on their results obtained during the fall season.

Before the indoor season kicked off, there was already a noteworthy change within the group. Former MLS pro and Montreal Impact goalkeeper Greg Sutton took over as interim head coach, replacing his former Impact teammate Lloyd Barker.

Sutton was one of Barker’s assistant coaches, along with Francois Bastien, in the 2012 fall season. Sutton got hold of a similar group of players.

The indoor men’s soccer season debuted on Jan. 13, when Concordia hosted rivals McGill in a derby match. The Stingers scored a goal in each half to start the season with a two-nil victory.

In their next match, Concordia welcomed the Montreal Impact Academy team to the Stingers Dome in a non-league match. The maroon and gold were impressive and kept the younger Impact side to a one-one draw.

The two positive results were followed by losses to Sherbrooke and UQTR. Concordia ended the two-match losing skid by dominating then first-place Montréal Carabins 2-0 on the road. This was easily the team’s best performance of the year.

Two losses to finish the indoor season meant the Stingers would have to face the UQTR Patriotes in the quarter-finals of the playoffs. Concordia was strong and organized throughout the 90-minute match, which went to a three-round shootout where UQTR came out as the winners.

The Stingers’ overall indoor season record was two wins, four losses and zero draws. This is not including the draw against Montreal Impact Academy and the playoff loss. The team was right in the pack until the final few matches of the short season.

Concordia can take many positives from this indoor season. The team showed they can keep up with any team in the league, something they weren’t able to do in previous years. An example of this would be the big win against the Carabins.

The Stingers were also one of two universities to have taken points from the Impact Academy team. This is an encouraging sign for the Stingers.

“We’re starting to develop an identity and culture around our team,” said Interim Head Coach Greg Sutton. “We’ve had good commitment from the guys. We understand the pieces we have moving forward. We’ll try to recruit some players for the future to create something pretty special at Concordia.”

It started happening in the fall, but the back line was also significantly improved. They allowed an average of two goals a game. This isn’t prodigious, but it’s something that can easily be corrected.

The biggest fault in the indoor season was the team’s inability to be consistent. Concordia was never able to string consecutive wins together. They were able to beat and take points from top sides, but the Stingers would lose the easier matches. A consistent team would have potential to challenge the top teams in the league each year.

“I think we have a pretty good idea of where we want to go,” said Sutton. “Players are starting to buy into what [François] and I have been preaching. We’re looking forward to the fall.”

The most important addition to the team this off-season would be securing Sutton as a permanent head coach. The Stingers athletic department will make the ultimate decision, but Sutton has put himself in a favourable position should he be up to the challenge next season.

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Injuries and inconsistency plague men’s basketball season

The men's basketball team ended the season with a 9-7 record, more losses than both their last two seasons combined. Concordian file photo.

The Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team were favourites heading into the 2012-13 season, after dominating the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec conference for two straight years.

However, injury troubles even before the season started made things tough for the team right from the get-go.

In November, the Stingers won their first three contests to open the season. Two close losses at the end of the month, against McGill and Laval respectively, knocked the team out of first place. Concordia would never get that first place spot back.

For the rest of the season, the Stingers were never able to get a good winning streak going. As soon as they would win two straight, they would go on to drop the one or two games. The team had some roller coaster performances, blowing out teams in some games, and dropping fourth quarter leads in other ones.

When the team was healthy, they brought back glimpses of their dominating performances from previous seasons. Unfortunately, players kept going down, forcing head coach John Dore to constantly adjust his lineup.

The men’s basketball team ended the season with a 9-7 record, more losses than both their last two seasons combined. Concordian file photo.

Concordia’s biggest victory of the season came on Nov. 15, when they beat the Laval Rouge et Or by 28 points. Laval returned the favour handing the Stingers their biggest defeat of the season on Feb. 23. The Rouge et Or beat Concordia by 22 points, in a match where Stingers needed to win to secure home playoff advantage.

Offensively, the maroon and gold led the league in most overall points and average points per game. They had three players finish in the top 10 in the league in terms of average points per game. Evens Laroche and Kyle Desmarais finished in third and fourth overall with 15.1 and 15 points per game. Guard Jerome Blake was in 10th spot overall in the league with 12 points per game.

It was defensively where the team lost some of their games. The Stingers found themselves in the middle of the pack in most defensive stat categories. Although, rebounding was the exception as the Stingers were the best offensive rebounding team and second best defensively behind McGill.

The below average Stingers season could have also come down to an overall improvement of the four other teams in the league. As expected, McGill put pressure on the Stingers all season long and ultimately dethroned Concordia, winning the RSEQ Championship. After finishing last in the two prior season, Bishop’s Gaiters turned things around and ended up beating out ConU for second place in the standings and went on to eliminate the Stingers in the playoffs.

Concordia will use the off-season to regroup and come out strong next year. Fewer injuries will hopefully lead to more consistent play from the 20-time RSEQ champions.

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Stingers team finishes second, despite improved record

(Photo Madelayne Hajek)

Looking back on the 2012-13 women’s basketball season, the Concordia Stingers can be proud.

The season before, the Stingers finished the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec conference in second place and fell to the McGill Martlets in the championship playoff game. They suffered the exact same fate this year.

(Photo Madelayne Hajek)

Concordia started the season in November with four straight wins. Their first loss came against the Laval Rouge et Or on Nov. 30 when the Stingers fell 50-49 in Quebec City. The Stingers managed to find themselves on the Canadian Interuniversity Sport top 10 rankings at one point.

For the rest of the season, the maroon and gold had a tough time putting more than two wins in a row together. A three-game winning streak in February was their next best run.

The team finished the season with 11 wins and five losses. This was an improvement on last season’s 8-8 record. Last year, an 11-5 record was good enough for first place. Just as Concordia improved, so did McGill who finished two wins ahead.

In the playoffs the Stingers had home court advantage in the semi-finals. They hosted the UQÀM Citadins at Concordia Gym on Feb. 27. In the regular season, Concordia won all four meetings between the two sides. The playoffs were not different. ConU won 65-62 and had a chance to face McGill once again in the finals.

After trailing most the game, the Stingers had a strong fourth quarter comeback and were only down by a basket with 17 seconds to go in the game. The Martlets hung on for a slim 51-48 victory.

The Stingers’ strong season did not go unnoticed at a provincial and national level. Guard Kaylah Barrett was named to the CIS first all-Canadian team for the second consecutive year. First-year forward Marilyse Roy-Viau was selected for the national all-Rookie team.

Provincially, Barrett was named conference MVP for the second straight year. She also was a first team all-star for the third consecutive season. Roy-Viau was named as a second team all-star and also made the all-Rookie team. First year guard Tamara Pinard-Devos was also won RSEQ all-Rookie honours.

It was not just players collecting silverware. Head coach Keith Pruden won RSEQ Coach of the Year. Concordia had a young team this season. Five of 12 players on the team were rookies. Three more were sophomores. Pruden did well to recruit these rookies and showed plenty of confidence towards them all season long.

Given the team’s success this past season, Pruden will be able to keep the same team for the next few years. The women’s basketball team has a bright future ahead, having already showed their potential this past season.

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Stingers eliminated from playoffs on penalty kicks

Photo by writer
Photo by writer

Following a two week break, the Concordia Stingers had a tough away trip to Trois-Rivières for their quarter-final playoff matchup. Finishing sixth in the league, Concordia had to face the third place Université du Québec à Trois Rivières Patriotes.

The last time these two sides met, the Patriotes won 5-3 in a goal-fest at the Stinger Dome on Feb. 3. The Stingers were hoping for a better match defensively this time around.

The Stingers had the first chance in the 10th minute. Defender Stephen Meterissian sent a long through ball to striker Andrew Bryan. Bryan could not get a good shot off.

Four minutes later, the home side answered back. Francis Labrie and Émile Dufour-Gallant combined well with passes through the middle until Dufour-Gallant fired a shot on the Stingers goal. Concordia goalkeeper Remo Taraschi bobbled the blast, but was able to secure the ball.

In the 43rd minute, UQTR worked their way down the right flank. A shot was fired on target, forcing Taraschi to make a diving stop. The follow-up rebound was barely missed.

The match was scoreless going into the break.

In the second half, the Patriotes could have opened the scoring 10 minutes in. Gabriel Lehouillier-Capistran found some space in front of the net, but his shot was denied by a great stop from Taraschi.

In the 79th minute, the Stingers had their best chance pull ahead. After securing a cross, Taraschi played a quick ball out to midfielder Joseph Couto. Couto looked up and sent a long ball deep for Bryan to run onto. Bryan could not slip it under the on-rushing goalkeeper.

In the 86th minute, the Patriotes should have put the game away. A ball worked down the left flank was cut back to the top of the box where Dufour-Gallant had time and space to shoot. Taraschi came up with a clutch save to keep the Stingers alive.

Into stoppage time, a Concordia counter-attack led to a big chance for Léonard Loyseau. The France native could not curl his shot around the UQTR keeper.

“In the late stages of the game, we were able to create a couple chances and we could have come away with a win,” said Stingers head coach Greg Sutton. “[Our goal] was to stay disciplined and not open ourselves up to a counter attack. We wanted to feel out the game and be patient.”

Penalties were needed to find a winner. With goals from each side in the first round, Bryan had a chance to put pressure on the Patriotes. His powerful blast rebounded off the crossbar and stayed out. A UQTR goal, followed by a miss by Couto, gave the Patriotes the victory.

“Defensively, I think we did a fairly good job. But again, the winter season is a different season. It’s not a season where we have really been able to develop our identity as a team yet.”

With the way the team has played in recent matches, things are looking positive for the Stingers. Coach Sutton, who came in on an interim basis to fill in for Lloyd Barker, has been able to build on Barker’s work and have an immediate effect on the team. Players have responded well to Sutton’s tactics and their confidence on and off the pitch is reaching new heights.

After a decent winter season, the Stingers now take a few months off before returning in August for the Fall season.

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What happened to curling at Concordia?

A few years ago, watching a Stingers curling team was a possibility. For two straight years, Concordia fielded a women’s curling team that represented the school at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Curling Championships.
It all started in 2009 when four Concordia curlers got together and formed what would be the school’s curling team.
Skip Kristen Richard, second Sasha Beauchamp, third Brittany O’Rourke and lead Erin Ryan made up the foursome that was sent to represent Concordia at the nationals for two years running.
All four players had at least five years of experience when they formed the team back in 2009. Richard, Beauchamp and O’Rourke also each participated in the Canadian Junior Championships between 2007 and 2009.
Curling made its introduction at the CIS level in 2008. Concordia’s first participation in the national championships was in 2009 when Montreal was the host city of the event. The Stingers finished with two wins and three losses.
One year later, the same Concordia team went to Edmonton, Alberta for another shot at winning the tournament. The Stingers finished with the same 2-3 record.
“When we had the curling team, we had a big fundraiser at the Montreal West Curling Club,” said O’Rourke. “We invited a whole bunch of sports teams to come out and try it. It was a good fundraising event that got people involved in curling.”
Concordia has not fielded a team since the 2010 nationals and the prospect of recreating one could be in the works.
O’Rourke and Beauchamp are still avid curlers. Both players recently represented Team Quebec at last month’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Team Quebec finished in ninth place with three wins and eight losses.
“I wouldn’t mind helping them out,” said O’Rourke on the prospect of a new Concordia team. “There are a couple people I know [at Concordia] who are curlers. One of them is looking to put a team together. That’s all it takes, one person to get the ball rolling. For Concordia, why not have a team? You get to go right to nationals because there’s no other school in Quebec that competes.”
The sport itself seems a lot easier on television than it does in real life.
“It’s definitely hard to do at first,” said O’Rourke. “A lot of people think it’s easy, and they try and they feel it’s really awkward. It just takes time and persistence, and eventually you’ll get the technique down.”
Curling, like golf for example, is a sport that requires great mental ability. Once getting the technical skills in order, the rest comes down to strategies on where to place the rocks on the sheet.
“They call it chess on ice,” said O’Rourke. “No strategy can be successful if you don’t make the shots you’re calling. It’s definitely a mixture of both [technical and tactical]. If you have terrible strategy then even if you make the shot, it’s going to suck. If you have good strategy and don’t make the shots, it will still come out to the same thing.”
Whether or not Concordia will see another curling team depends on those interested in the sport. With a small team, minimum of four players, and a guaranteed spot in the nationals, this could be your way of finally becoming a Stingers athlete.

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Concordia loses RSEQ final for the first time in three years

(Photo Madelayne Hajek)
The Stingers men’s basketball team was faced with a tough away playoff game in Sherbrooke last Wednesday, as the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec playoffs got underway. (Photo Madelayne Hajek)

The Stingers men’s basketball team was faced with a tough away playoff game in Sherbrooke last Wednesday, as the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec playoffs got underway.

Concordia missed their chance to secure home-court advantage for this playoff match after failing to beat the last-place Laval Rouge et Or in the final match of the regular season. For finishing third in the conference, the team had to visit the second-place Bishop’s Gaiters in the semi-finals.

The first quarter was a roller-coaster. After Concordia’s 8-0 to start the game, Bishop’s scored eight straight points to level the score. The Gaiters stayed strong and were up 18-11 with 1:45 to play. The Stingers scored seven straight points to tie the game after the first 10 minutes.

Concordia held a small lead for most of the second quarter. The home Gaiters team kept answering their opponents and pulled ahead with a four-point lead at halftime.

Both teams traded baskets throughout the third quarter. Concordia feverishly tried to pull ahead to no avail. It finally happened when Taylor Garner scored with 44 seconds to go. Bishop’s hit a basket right after to have a marginal one-point lead going into the final frame.

As expected, both teams went back-and-forth knowing the RSEQ championship game was on the line. Concordia managed to tie the game early on, but Bishop’s was able to pull ahead with a couple of baskets. The Stingers were unable to get any closer than that. Bishop’s took the game 70-63.

This ended the Stingers’ tough season. The team finished the regular season with a 9-7 record. The seven losses account for more defeats than their last two seasons combined.

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Concordia fails to secure home court advantage in playoffs

Stingers win and lose in final two games of the season

Concordia’s men’s basketball team had two important games to finish the season. On Thursday the Stingers hosted the Bishop’s Gaiters at Concordia Gym before travelling to square off against Laval on Saturday.

Coming into the Thursday game against the Gaiters, Concordia desperately needed a win if they were to have any chance of playing at

On Thursday the Stingers hosted the Bishop’s Gaiters at Concordia Gym before travelling to square off against Laval on Saturday.

home during the playoffs. The Stingers needed consecutive wins against Bishop’s and Laval to ensure a second place finish and more importantly home court advantage in the semi-finals.

Against Bishop’s, the maroon and gold were hungry right from the opening tipoff. A 7-0 run inside the first three and a half minutes gave Concordia a 9-2. Guards Kyle Desmarais and Morgan Tajfel each had a good opening quarter. The duo combined for more points than the entire Bishop’s team after the first 10 minutes. Desmarais had nine points, while Tajfel had six. The Stingers led 20-13.

“I don’t think we played great for the entire 40 minutes, maybe 30,” said Desmarais, who led the team with 22 points and five assists. “We knew we had to win it and we know we play well at home. We came out with nothing to lose.”

The Gaiters turned up the tempo in the second quarter. The visitors opened the frame with eight unanswered points and eventually took a slim one point lead. Both teams traded baskets during the remainder of the quarter. There were a total of six lead changes in the second alone.

The game was tied at halftime, 33-33.

The action continued to go both ways in the third quarter. A string of early baskets gave the Gaiters a two possession lead early in the frame. Concordia would always find a way to reply and never let their opponents run the score. The Stingers fought back and had their own five point lead just after the midway point of the frame. By the end of the third, Bishop’s was leading 49-48.

ConU went all out in the final 10 minutes. Their success defensively translated directly to their success on offence. For the first six minutes, the Stingers’ strong defence only gave up five points to the Gaiters. In the same time, but at the other end of the court, Concordia scored 17 points to go up a game high 11 points.

The Gaiters clawed their way back to within six points, but the Stingers held on to a 72-63 win.

“We did a great job rebounding, we killed them on the board,” said Stingers assistant head coach Ernie Rosa. “But, we had 27 turnovers. That’s unacceptable at this stage of the year. We should be down to 12. Foul shooting wasn’t very good, and we were at home. No, we’re not happy with what happened today. It was a win, but it was not a good win.”

“We’re in a position where we need to prove ourselves and prove to other teams that we are the number one team in Quebec,” said Tajfel, who ended the game with a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds.

On Saturday, Concordia and Laval couldn’t be separated in the first half. The Rouge et Or took a sizeable lead in the third quarter and went on to win 84-62.

The Stingers finish the season in third place and will travel to Bishop’s on Wednesday in the opening round of the RSEQ playoffs. The rematch from Thursday night is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game is available online.

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Concordia’s athletic department director to retire

Concordia’s Athletic Department Director Katie Sheahan will retire this May after 10 years on the job. The department made the announcement last Thursday.

During her tenure, there have been some major upgrades and advancements in Concordia’s athletic services. According to the Athletic Department’s website, both the outdoor artificial turfs on Loyola campus, the Stinger Dome and the gyms have all been installed during her time at Concordia. Sheahan was also involved in the creation of The PERFORM center, an advanced sports research facility, located in Le Centre at Loyola campus. It was inaugurated in October 2011.

Sheahan has always had tremendous passion for all Stingers team. She regularly attends Concordia home games. More recently, she was spotted cheering passionately, sitting in the first row of the men’s and women’s basketball games this past Thursday.

In her 10 years as the Department’s director, Stingers sports teams have, combined, won over 10 championships.

In 2008, her achievements led her to the Humberto Santos Award issued by the Concordia University Alumni Association.

The university will look to continue building on Sheahan’s work and will continue providing a quality experience for the school’s athletes and varsity teams while continuing to improve the facilities.

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Stingers close season with win and a loss

In their final two matches of the season, the Concordia Stingers women's basketball team finished with a win and an overtime loss

In their final two matches of the season, the Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team finished with a win and an overtime loss. In the first game of the week, the Stingers hosted the Bishop’s Gaiters at Concordia Gym on Thursday night. Two days later, Concordia travelled to Quebec City to face the Laval Rouge et Or.

Against the Gaiters, the maroon and gold got off to a flying start. Guard Ashley Clarke had the hot hand, scoring 10 points straight in a

In their final two matches of the season, the Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team finished with a win and an overtime loss

span of five minutes. She finished the game with 21 points, playing a total of 25 minutes. Concordia’s strong quarter gave the team a 22-8 lead going into the second.

Continuing their dominance from the first quarter, the Stingers went on a 15-0 run in the first five minutes of the second. The home team led as much as 24 points. The Gaiters slowly started to hit a few baskets and suddenly scored nine unanswered points to reduce the deficit.

By halftime, Concordia still had a comfortable 15 point lead, 34-19.

As the score suggested, it looked like it was going to be another relatively easy win for the Stingers. In three games against Bishop’s this season, ConU had a perfect 3-0 record and won by an average of 18 points.

In the third quarter, the Stingers kept up their high-tempo offence. Halfway through the frame, their 24 point lead was restored. But much like the end of the second quarter, thanks to some unforced turnovers from the Stingers, the Gaiters managed to cut the deficit to 16 points.

Both teams went back and forth in the final quarter. With just over two minutes to go, Concordia had their largest lead of the game. A seven point run saw them jump up to a 25 point lead. As the final buzzer went, the Stingers won handily 70-51.

After Clarke’s team-leading 21 points, guard Kaylah Barrett added 13 points. Five other ConU players had more than five points each. Center Serginha Estime pulled down eight of the team’s 40 rebounds.

Despite the result, Stingers head coach Keith Pruden still believes his team needs to tighten up on defence and not give up easy turnovers on offence.

“We have to be more consistent at both ends,” he said. “We can’t afford to give people the kind of easy looks we gave up in the fourth quarter for example. We just can’t give up those kinds of transition layups. We certainly can’t turn the ball over as often. We got to hold the turnovers to under a dozen for the game, otherwise we’re giving teams quality opportunities to score.”

On Saturday against the Rouge et Or, an overtime was needed to find a winner. Laval pulled off a 67-62 win. Despite the result, Concordia’s loss had no effect on the standings. The Stingers still finished in second place in the RSEQ conference.

“I’m okay with where we are at right now, but we’re not playing exactly how I want to,” said Pruden. “We’re going to have to tune some stuff for the playoffs.”

 

Concordia will face the UQÀM Citadins in the first round of the playoffs this Wednesday at Concordia Gym. The Stingers have won all four season meetings against the Citadins this season. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.

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