Author: Kevin Duarte

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Stingers men’s soccer team keeps playoff hopes alive

Concordia's Stingers men's soccer team. Photo by Madelayne Hajek
Concordia’s Stingers men’s soccer team. Photo by Madelayne Hajek

The Stingers got their second victory of the season when they played host to the UQÁM Citadins on Sunday afternoon. After a scoreless first half, Concordia striker Andrew Bryan found the back of the net in the 73rd minute to earn his side an important three points.

After a big loss to league leaders Montréal last Sunday, Concordia was happy to welcome back Bryan and Fabian Troche to the starting lineup. Both players missed that match due to suspension.

The action started with Bryan almost putting the Stingers up by a goal two minutes in. He controlled a through ball from the midfield and set off towards the opponents’ net. A Citadins defender was able to catch up to Bryan and forced him to shoot wide.

The Citadins would see their first major chance come in the 37th minute. UQÁM played a corner kick to the near post which was met by Imad Agday’s head. The ball deflected off the crossbar and was recovered by the Stingers.

Two minutes later, Concordia answered back by hitting a post of their own. A low cross from the left side found Stinger Gabriel Quinn atop the box and his powerful blast nailed the crossbar.

To end the half, both sides had two big opportunities to open the scoring. UQÁM managed to hit another crossbar, while a Concordia two-on-one resulted in a diving save by the Citadins goalkeeper.

Early in the second half, the maroon and gold won a free kick from around 25 yards out. Bryan stepped up and curled a shot off the nearside post.

In the 55th minute, Stingers defender Stephen Meterissian missed a tap-in to give his side the lead. Two minutes later, he would miss another chance, this time from a header.

UQÁM had another decent opportunity in the 69th minute. Charles Noël took control of the ball and set off alone towards Concordia keeper Remo Taraschi. Taraschi’s charge resulted in Noël trying to chip the ball into the goal. The effort barely missed the target.

In the 73rd minute, the deadlock was finally broken. After a good combination play by the Stingers in midfield, center back Christopher Mirasyedi sent a perfect long ball to Bryan. Bryan controlled the ball with a good first-touch and blasted home a shot from inside the box.

The Stingers would manage to conserve the slender one-nil lead until the final whistle.

“We played well in the first half. We stuck to a very simple game plan and we got the result,” said Stingers Assistant Coach Francois Bastien. “It’s not too late to get a little bit of momentum going on, so I hope that carries through to the next games.”

The key to Concordia’s victory came from an organized back line and some good attacks. The team was able to keep the ball in UQÁM’s half of the field, thus eliminating the possibility of an attack on their own goal.

“My team played solid at the back,” said Remo Taraschi. “It’s like we’re playing playoff soccer right now and they’re putting their bodies on the line to make things easier for me.”

 

Concordia will close out the season this coming week with a game on Friday night when they travel to Sherbrooke to play the Vert et Or. The Stingers return home on Sunday afternoon to face the Laval Rouge et Or.

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McGill scores four unanswered goals defeating Concordia

The men’s soccer team was back in action on Thursday after an 11-day break. The team traveled to neighbouring McGill University to take on the Redmen. After a 1-1 draw earlier in the season, the Stingers were looking to upset their higher ranked rivals.

For this derby match, Concordia lined up in a familiar 4-2-3-1 formation. Andrew Bryan was the lone man upfront with Fabian Troche, Eduardo Mazzonna, Gonzalo Paredes, Joseph Couto and Sammy Tork completing the midfield. Jayson Gallahue, Christopher Mirasyedi, Ramin Mohsenin and Enos Osei were the back four. Remo Taraschi was in goal.

The cold evening match at Percival-Molson Stadium started off slow. Both sides were able to make their way down the pitch, but could not create a worthwhile chance.

In the 26th minute, the visiting Stingers took a surprise lead. Troche played a perfect through ball to Bryan who made his run between two McGill defenders. With only the keeper to beat, Bryan made no mistake blasting home his third goal of the season.

The Stingers striker was at it again 10 minutes later. This time, Bryan’s shot from inside the box forced a good save out of McGill goalkeeper Max Leblond.

The Redmen would manage to tie up the match. Two minutes before the halftime break, Henri Ashe-Taylor finished a low cross from teammate Vincent Ye. Ashe-Talyor’s shot from atop the 18-yard box took a deflection before going in.

The Stingers fell apart in the second half. In the 69th minute, McGill took the lead on an absolute world-class strike from around 25-yards out. Redmen Jeremy Hurdle received a pass on the left side of the pitch, turned quickly and almost blindly laced the ball perfectly over Taraschi and into the top right corner. The wonder-goal was goal-of-the-season worthy.

Upon regaining possession seconds after the ensuing kickoff, McGill added to their lead with a shot from a similar distance. Winston Pool saw an opening and hit a bouncing shot at Taraschi. The Stingers goalkeeper was unable to handle the ball struck right at him.

The goalkeeping blunder wouldn’t mean much as Concordia was unable to score another goal. In the 88th minute, the Redmen scored a header off a corner kick.

Stingers leading scorer Bryan would end up getting a red card one minute later for pushing McGill’s Marc Palaci-Olgun to the turf. He will miss this Sunday’s match.

“They got totally undisciplined,” said Stingers head coach Lloyd Barker referring to his team’s overall performance. “They basically forgot everything we spoke about and they go back to their old ways. They tried to do things on their own and that never works. The very moment things aren’t in our favour, they go back to their old habits.”

The 4-1 loss leaves Concordia in last place in the league. With four matches to go, the maroon and gold are five points outside the playoffs.

“From a points standpoint, we saw this as a must-win,” said Barker. “We spoke about leaving here with three points. It goes without saying that we are disappointed.”

Concordia is back in action on Sunday. They return home to host the defending champions Montreal Carabins. U de M blanked the Stingers 5-0 in the first match of the season. Kick off at Concordia Stadium is at 1 p.m.

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Concordia defeats McGill for the first time in 10 years

Photos by Derek Drummond, courtesy McGill Athletes & Recreation


History was made for Concordia’s women’s soccer team on Thursday night. The team visited Percival-Molson Stadium for the second leg of back-to-back matches against the McGill Martlets. Jennifer Duff’s goal in the second half brought the Stingers to victory.

The Stingers came into this match shorthanded after missing players due to injury as well as other reasons. Head coach Jorge Sanchez had to make a few adjustments to his team’s starting line. Duff and Gabriela Padvaiskas paired up once again as striker. Shauna Zilversmit, Elizabeth Allard, Kayla Myre and Melissa Kedro were in the midfield. Valerie Ishak was a new face to the back line. The usual centre midfielder played as a defender with Alexandra Dragan, Philippa Lyttle and Shannon Travers. Saby Dagenais got the start in goal.

Concordia had a poor opening 45 minutes. McGill threatened with chance after chance, but was ultimately unable to get a clear shot on goal. The Martlets controlled the play from the opening kickoff and attacked through flanks.

McGill’s attacking trio of Julia Conzon, Hannah Rivkin and Meghan Bourque were responsible for all of the Martlets’ eight threatening scoring chances. Most plays came from crosses, however, the ensuing shots or headers were never on target.

The Stingers new back line was busy all half, defending waves of McGill attacks. Fortunately, the team was able to keep the score leveled at the interval.

In the 50th minute, the home side was close to finally getting the first goal of the match. Rivkin controlled a pass, cut towards the goal and curled a left-footed shot inches from the top corner.

On the hour mark, Concordia would make the most of their only significant opportunity. Duff received a flick-on pass by Myre in the midfield. The redirected ball split McGill’s two centre backs leaving Duff alone with the goalkeeper. Concordia’s leading scorer made no mistake slotting in her seventh goal of the season.

In the 77th minute, a bad Concordia foul gave McGill a free kick from a dangerous location near the Stingers goal. The kick was struck from the left and was heading straight for the near side’s top corner. Dagenais made a spectacular diving save denying the Martlets once again. McGill ended up putting the rebound in, but the goal was cancelled due to an offside. Dagenais would end up getting ‘player of the game’ honours.

McGill kept threatening and ultimately could not finish any of their chances. Concordia’s 1-0 win over the Martlets is the first time the team has been able to beat their rivals since 2002. The Stingers beat McGill in a penalty shootout in the semi-finals that year.

“We have a game plan and we’re going to play to our strengths,” said Sanchez. “We’re going to give up a lot of possession and chances. Our goal is not to give up chances from in close, to not make key mistakes in our third of the field and to take advantage of the few chances we get. And we did.”

With the win, Concordia is undefeated in their last four matches. The team currently sits in fifth place and one point out of the playoffs.

The Stingers will look to carry this confidence into their next match on Sunday against league-leaders Montreal Carabins at Concordia Stadium. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. following the men’s game.

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September’s athletes of the month

Football – Max Caron

The Stingers football ball team ended the month of September with two wins and three losses. Max Caron has been consistent on the Stingers defensive line all season. The Kingston, Ont. native was second on the team with 24 tackles and one sack to his name.

“Every game he stood out on defense,” said Concordian contributor Tim Lazier. “Whenever Concordia was defending, his name always came up. He’s one of those players that never got off the field and seemed to be in on every tackle.”

 

Men’s rugby – Marc Roche

The men’s rugby team had a very good first month of action. After four games, the team totaled three wins and one loss. Their second victory of the season was won by forfeit over the McGill Redmen on Sept. 12. The team has three games remaining in the season and should comfortably make the playoffs.

Marc Roche was selected as the team’s player of the month by head coach Clive Gibson and staff writer Paolo Mingarelli. The Johannesburg, South Africa native was strong in the number eight position and was once selected as game MVP. He also picked up an Athlete of the Week award by the Stingers Athletic Department.

 

Women’s rugby – Bianca Farella

Women’s rugby was Concordia’s best team this month. The squad finished with a perfect 5-0 record. They didn’t just narrowly beat the other schools, they humiliated some of them. ConU outscored their opponents 232-19 during the month. Bianca Farella is our pick as athlete of the month. Playing in four of five games in September, the behavioural neuroscience student scored a total of 10 tries and led the team with 50 points. She was named MVP in the first game of the season as she had five tries against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or. The Stingers won that game 80-0.

 

Men’s soccer – Andrew Bryan

Andrew Bryan played in five of Concordia’s seven matches during the month and picked up a game MVP honours in four of these matches. The first-year striker’s two goals account for a third of his team’s goal total so far. He also has one assist.

Standing at six feet and five inches, Bryan uses his size to outmuscle opposing defenders. The target man also has explosive acceleration and speed in his repertoire. He has proven himself by managing to find a goal from almost anywhere on the pitch. His is a threat on the ground and in the air.

 

Women’s soccer – Jennifer Duff

Selected by myself and head coach Jorge Sanchez, Jennifer Duff ended the month of September with five goals and three assists. The Stingers played a total of seven matches, winning three, while losing and drawing twice.

Duff’s best match was on Sept. 20 against the UQÀM Citadins. The fourth-year student scored a brace and added an assist in a 4-0 shutout victory. She was named MVP four times throughout the month. Duff currently has a three match scoring streak in progress.

 

Cross-Country – Ryan Noel-Hodge

Ryan Noel-Hodge currently captains the men’s cross-country team. The fourth-year anthropology student already has one win to his name this year. In the McGill Open on Sept. 15, Noel-Hodge finished first out of 128 runners with a time of 18:55. He was five seconds short of the course record.

“A week later, he finished in the top 10 at the prestigious and highly competitive Western International meet, running eight kilometers in 25:41,” said head coach John Lofranco. “His form at Western against the top runners in eastern Canada anticipates a possible All-Canadian berth at the CIS championships on the same course in November.”

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The last man back: protecting the Stingers goal in his first year

Playing university soccer has always been a dream for men’s soccer goalkeeper Remo Taraschi. From an early age, he was already planning out his path to achieve this ambition.

“Since I was younger, I always looked up to these kids playing university soccer,” saidTaraschi. “I aspired to play at the same level.”

Taraschi comes to Concordia University first as a student and second as a varsity level athlete. He is currently in his first year at the school completing a specialization in cellular and molecular biology.

When he is not studying, you can find Taraschi at the training pitch as the Stingers have daily practices Monday through Friday.

The busy schedule of a student-athlete requires organization and preparation. With classes throughout the week, practices almost every day and games once or twice a week, finding time to study can be tough.

“For me, it’s on your breaks where you have to study,” he said. “Every time I’m on break I’m studying. When I’m at home watching T.V., I’ll have a book in my hands. There’s is no time to rest for now.”

Being a goalkeeper in soccer requires a great amount of focus and leadership. Taraschi’s decision to become a goalkeeper happened rather unexpectedly when he was 13-years-old.

“At the time, my team didn’t have a keeper,” he said. “During a practice, we were just having fun and I went in nets. The coach just said ‘look, you’re going to be our keeper from now on’.”

Taraschi listened to his coach at the time and has been in goal ever since.

“It’s a fun challenge,” he said referring to the position. “I like the pressure and the key opportunities. I like to keep my team in game as much as I can. It’s what I love to do.”

But Taraschi’s soccer career started at the tender age of five. Being a Pierrefonds resident, he played for the Pierrefonds Soccer Association until the end of his team when he was 16.

Taraschi was recruited by the Stingers this summer. At club level, he represents Lakeshore Soccer Club in the men’s senior division one elite level. In CÉGEP, last year, Taraschi was also the starting goalkeeper for the John Abbott College Islanders.

“My coach got in touch with Lloyd [Barker, Stingers head coach] and talked about me,” he explained. “[Barker] came and watched me play in the summer.”

Taraschi’s transition has been made easier, as he and five other Stingers play on the same club team.

“It’s stricter for sure because we’re practicing every day. It’s more disciplined,” he said. “With school, it’s harder to balance, but the coaches keep us on track.”

This season, Taraschi has been splitting time with last year’s starting goalkeeper Nicholas Giannone. Both keepers have been providing healthy competition for one and other.

“Honestly, the relationship is really great,” Taraschi said. “We’ve played before for a year on the same team. I find we each have our strengths and weaknesses and we feed off each other in practice. I give him full credit as he’s playing at a higher club level than me right now.”

Playing with the Stingers, both goalkeepers are fortunate to have current Montreal Impact goalkeeper Greg Sutton as an assistant coach. Sutton has represented Major League Soccer teams Chicago Fire, Toronto FC, New York Red Bulls and has capped for the Canadian National Team 16 times.

“Right now, I’m just taking in the experience because it’s an MLS keeper and everybody knows who [Sutton] is in Montreal,” explained Taraschi. “It’s an honour to be coached by him.”

In the future, Taraschi wants to pursue his soccer career for as long as possible. The thought of playing at the semi-pro level is something he has definitely thought about.

“If the opportunity comes then for sure,” he said. “For now, I’m going to focus on my studies.”

Until then, the Stinger is fixed on this year’s team as they try to make the playoffs for the first time in years.

 

Follow Taraschi and the rest of the Stingers in action when they face the McGill Redmen on Oct. 11 at Percival Molson Stadium. Kickoff is at 8:30 p.m. following the women’s game.

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Concordia comes back to earn a draw against McGill

Concordia’s women’s soccer team was back at home after a two-game road trip over the weekend. They faced the McGill Martlets on Wednesday in a rescheduled match from Sept. 14. That game was cancelled due to poor weather conditions.

Coach Jorge Sanchez used a familiar starting lineup for this derby match. Jennifer Duff and Gabriela Padvaiskas started up front as strikers. Shauna Zilversmit, Valerie Ishak, Kayla Myre and Melissa Kedro completed the midfield. Saby Dagenais got the start in goal. She was protected by defenders Alexandra Dragan, Shannon Travers, Philippa Lyttle and Lindsey Brooks.

The Wednesday night match started well for the visiting McGill side. The first scoring chance of the night came 11 minutes in. From around 25 yards out, defender Kelsey Wilson curled a free kick just past the right post.

McGill continued to dictate play. The visitors quickly transitioned up the pitch and were able to find gaps in the midfield. In the 20th minute, Martlets forward Meghan Bourque found lots of time and space in the middle and decided to unleash a rocket towards the ConU goal. Her strike from 30 yards out touched the crossbar and bounced very close to the goal line. The assistant referee deemed the ball to have completely crossed the goal line and the point was awarded.

The Martlets almost doubled their lead three minutes before the break as a free-kick from the right side found defender Bahar Sansar alone in front and she easily beat Dagenais. Fortunately for the Stingers, the assistant referee had his flag up signaling an offside.

Concordia was much improved in the final 45 minutes. Eleven minutes into the second half, Kedro had a good chance to test McGill’s goalkeeper from atop the box. The chance was squandered as the ball skipped past her foot.

The miss would prove to be costly as the Martlets went up 2-0 off a free kick down in the corner of the Concordia half. Sansar whipped in a ball that ended up flying over everyone in the box and into the top corner of the goal. Dagenais had little chance to stop the perfectly placed shot.

Despite being down two goals, the Stingers never gave up in the match. In the 63rd minute, they were rewarded with a penalty kick for a handball infraction inside McGill’s penalty area. Duff, Concordia’s leading scorer, made no mistake from the spot.

Seven minutes later, the maroon and gold would find the equalizer. From a free kick from the right side, Kedro got on the end of the kick and accurately placed her header into the corner of the McGill goal.

There would be no more goals to finish of the match. With the draw, Concordia moves to within one point of the final playoff spot in the RSEQ conference. They are trailing the Laval Rouge et Or.

“I’m proud of how hard we fought,” said Sanchez of his team. “We didn’t get down, we kept going. When we got the penalty, we had enough time left where we knew it would be interesting and we scored a great goal right after.”

With six matches to go, Concordia is in a good position to qualify for the playoffs. It’s been more than five years since the team last made it. The Stingers will need to continue to pick up points in their remaining fixtures.

“Our goal is to get four points between this game and next week’s game against McGill,” Sanchez added. “We got one, now we have to get the three next week.”

 

Concordia’s next match is on Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. The team travels to McGill for round two to try and settle this stalemate.

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The season’s second-half spells success for Stingers

The future looks bright for soccer at Concordia this year. In the past five years, neither the men’s nor women’s teams qualified for the RSEQ playoffs. After passing the midway point of the season, the women’s team sits in fifth place, two points from the final playoff spot in their league. The men’s team is only four points away from the final playoff spot.

The women seem to have turned it around this year. Last season, the team finished in second-to-last place with two wins, nine losses and three draws. After seven matches, the team had one win, five losses and one draw. In seven matches this season, the squad has already topped last season’s point total.

A major difference from last year is confidence. The team looks confident when they take the field. Besides a heavy loss to the Montreal Carabins at the start of the season, coach Jorge Sanchez’s group has been able match every other team in the league.

Come game time, the squad remains hopeful leading to better performances. In possession, the Stingers are able to transition up the pitch with few problems. Support from the midfielders is present allowing the team control the pace of the match. Though, the team has to gain efficiency when finishing scoring chances.

On the men’s side, game performances has improved despite what standings may suggest. The team sits in last place in the league with five points. However, unlike the women’s standings, things are much closer for the men. The team is four points away in the fight for the last playoff spot, and only eight points away from first place.

The men may have lost big in their first match but they picked up one win and two draws in the following three fixtures. Three losses in a row now see them slip to last place. Fortunately, other results in the league have allowed the team to stay in the playoff race.

In the 2011-12 season, the men’s team had three wins and four losses after seven matches. Two of these wins came from forfeits. This season, after seven matches, the men have one win, four losses and two draws.

Without looking at the standings or stats, performances on the field are better than last year. The biggest difference is up front. The addition of a few new players – plus an altered formation – now sees a more threatening team. The midfielders are also able to win their battles and this is one of the reasons the Stingers are able to dictate play.

This weekend, both teams had two tough away matches against the Laval Rouge et Or and the UQTR Patriotes. The women’s tied Laval 2-2 on Friday evening and picked up a 3-2 win against the Patriotes on Sunday. The men lost both matches with the same 3-1 scoreline.

The women’s team face McGill on Wednesday night at Concordia Stadium, while the men’s team will look to regroup for their next match on Oct. 11.

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Sherbrooke snaps Concordia’s three-game streak

Photo by Brianna Thicke. Courtesy of stingers.ca

The Stingers women’s soccer team followed up their last victory with a 3-0 loss against Sherbrooke on Sunday. In a match played at Concordia Stadium, the Vert et Or scored three second-half goals to secure a win.

Head coach Jorge Sanchez opted for a different formation to start this match. Concordia lined up 4-1-4-1, with Saby Dagenais as the goalkeeper. Gabriela Padvaiskas led the attack, playing ahead of Melissa Kedro, Jennifer Duff, Kayla Myre, Alexandra Dragan and Valerie Ishak. The defense stayed the same with Katrina Filiatrault, Elizabeth McDonald, Shannon Travers and Lindsey Brooks.

Concordia survived a scare early in the match. Five minutes in, a quickly taken Sherbrooke free kick resulted in a tap-in goal. Fortunately for the Stingers, the assistant referee had his flag up signaling an offside.

The next chance came in the 33rd minute. A Vert et Or midfielder sent in a low cross, which was unable to be converted by forward Chloé Belhumeur Limoges.

One minute later, Sherbrooke’s Marie-Eve Jacques received a through ball and set off towards the Concordia net. Her weak shot was easily handled by Dagenais.

Despite being outplayed throughout the first 45 minutes, the Stingers managed to keep the match scoreless.

The visitors turned up the pressure in the second half. Two minutes in, the Vert et Or struck the crossbar twice in one play. Concordia’s defense was left scrambling, but they somehow managed to keep the ball out of the goal.

Concordia had their first major opportunity in the 55th minute. Myre received a good pass, found some space, but her shot was blocked in front by a Sherbrooke defender.

In the 69th minute, the Vert et Or finally found finished one of their chances. Midfielder Camille Vandenberghe found time and space outside the Stingers box and accurately placed her shot to the right of Dagenais.

Concordia almost tied the game from a corner kick eight minutes later. The ball bounced to substitute Shauna Zilversmit who quickly fired a shot. It went over the bar.

In the 78th minute, Sherbrooke added a second goal. Midfielder Andréanne Gagné dribbled through the middle and shot from 25 yards out. Dagenais was unable to stop the powerful blast.

One minute later, the Vert et Or took advantage of the frustrated Stingers team. Substitute Isabelle Genest made a good run down the right wing. She delivered a perfect cross to an unmarked Belhumeur Limoges who made no mistake heading the ball in from close range.

The first goal deflated the Stingers, as they conceded two more in the span of ten minutes. It was only a matter of time before Sherbrooke scored. Concordia was poor in transitioning from the back to the front, often giving away possession in bad spots. The visitors were constantly testing Dagenais with shots and crosses.

“We knew we were going to give up a lot defensively,” said Sanchez. “Our goal was to not break, keep the ball in front of us, defend well and hope to get one or two good chances up the field.”

Despite being outplayed at times, the Stingers did show some flashes of brilliance. Sanchez believes the team has to make better decisions when they have the ball in the attacking third.

“I think we’re progressing,” he said. “Even when we were struggling, we were still able to link passes together. I think we’re just missing that killer instinct in the last 20 yards of the field.”

The Stingers join the men’s team on the road in Quebec City and Trois–Rivières this coming weekend. The action begins on Friday evening against the Université de Laval, followed by an afternoon visit to face the UQTR Patriotes on Sunday. Both games are available for viewing online.

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Another set-piece goal leads to Stingers loss

Courtesy of stingers.ca
Photo by Brianna Thicke. Courtesy of stingers.ca

After Thursday’s draw at UQÀM, the Stingers men’s soccer team were back in action on Sunday afternoon. The team played host to a victorious Sherbrooke Vert et Or at Concordia Stadium.

Concordia made two changes from last Thursday’s match against the Citadins. Striker Andrew Bryan returned to the starting lineup, after coming on as a substitute on Thursday. Midfielder Claude Diesse got the start at right midfield, replacing Gabriel Quinn.

In the early moments of the afternoon, Concordia’s Eduardo Mazzonna almost gave his team the lead. However, his shot was straight at Sherbrooke goalkeeper Shawn Galego Do Couto.

Almost 20 minutes later, the Vert et Or came close to opening the scoring. Sherbrooke’s Kalambayi Junias Ngoyi got on the end of a corner kick, but his quick shot on goal was blocked in front of the goal.

In the 30th minute, Concordia had more difficulties defending a corner kick. This time, the visitors made up for their earlier miss. Center back Ilunga was left unmarked in the middle of the box and made no mistake driving home his header.

Five minutes later, Sherbrooke almost caught the Stingers on the counter-attack. Attacking through the right flank, the team was able to find space and send in a low cross. The ball bounced around inside the Concordia box until it was blasted over the bar.

The Stingers were defending more times than they had hoped for in the first half. Besides the one slip-up, the team was able to keep the score at 1-0. Fabrice Ilunga got the game-winning goal scoring with a header in the 30th minute.

In the 55th minute, the maroon and gold almost levelled the score from their own corner. Bryan got on the end of Mazzonna’s delivery, but the header was over the crossbar.

Sherbrooke continued to work the flanks. Twelve minutes later, midfielder Mohamed El Bachir Haddadi fired his cross in front of the Con U goal. Forward Djibi Diao came within inches of doubling his team’s lead.

As the match neared the end, Concordia started to see more of the ball. Unfortunately, the team made poor decisions with their possession. The Stingers were never able to connect in the final attacking third. They were unable to find the equalizing goal.

“To be honest, I don’t think we deserved to win,” said assistant coach Francois Bastien. “I think we were limited. I give all the credit to Sherbrooke because they got the three points.”

Even though Bastien conceded defeat, he does not feel Sherbrooke dominated the 90 minutes. Rather, he feels his side did not play to their potential.

“I don’t think they [Sherbrooke] did anything special,” he admitted. “I think quality was missing everywhere. It was a shocker today. We’re disappointed.”

The Stingers have a tough road trip this coming week. They travel to Quebec City on Friday to face Laval and head to Trois–Rivières to take on the Patriotes on Sunday. Concordia already has one win against UQTR this season.

“Next weekend is crucial,” said Bastien. “We need to come out with a minimum of four points to stay in the playoff hunt.”

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Con U thrashes UQÀM on the road

After a disappointing draw last Sunday, Concordia’s women’s soccer team hit the road to face the UQÀM Citadins. The Stingers dominated the 90 minutes in all aspects. Two goals in each half secured an important three points.

The maroon and gold kept the same 4-4-2 formation. Head coach Jorge Sanchez made two changes to his starting lineup. Shauna Zilversmit and Gabriela Padvaiskas got the start, replacing Alexandra Dragan and Bella James.

Concordia forward Jennifer Duff was influential in the first 10 minutes of this match. She had a great chance two minutes in, but her header was saved by UQÀM goalkeeper Valérie Labbé. In the 10′ minute, Duff got on the end of a poor UQÀM back pass, but failed to hit an open goal.

One minute later, Duff earned her side a penalty kick after being taken down by an UQÀM defender. She made no mistake sending the ball to the back of the goal.

In the 23′ minute, Duff had another stellar moment. This time, her shot at the UQÀM goalkeeper was spilled, leaving Stingers midfielder Shauna Zilversmit with an easy tap-in.

Ten minutes before halftime, Concordia failed to capitalize on a free kick. The UQÀM back-line was unable to clear the ball, leaving Bella James with an open net but was unable to add the third goal.

The Citadins had one major chance to score. In the 39′ minute, a good combination play left Sabrina Addona with a shot on goal. It led to a corner kick and then the ball found Addona again, but her shot was saved by a sprawling Brittany O’Rourke in goal for the Stingers.

In the second half, Concordia started where they left off. Six minutes in, Duff scored her second goal of the match. She received a ball atop the 18-yard-box, spun around a defender and calmly placed her shot into the corner. This was the first time Concordia scored three goals  in a game this year.

Concordia continued to dominate the match with chance after chance. The ball never seemed to leave the UQÀM half of the field. In the dying moments of the match, the Stingers would make it 4-0. Substitute Frédérique Labelle scored from a good passing play started by Emily Hubbard and James.

“We had a really good start to the game,” said Sanchez. “We got two goals very quickly, so that made us confident. From that moment on, I think we took control of the game.

In previous matches, finishing chances seemed to be the team’s biggest problem. Everything was perfect on Thursday and Sanchez hopes things will be the same on Sunday.

“I think what I’m most satisfied about is that players didn’t use last week’s result as an excuse to underperform,” he said. “They came out strong and wanted to erase last game from their minds, and they did.”

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Stingers earn draw in a tough away match


The Stingers men’s soccer team picked up another point on Thursday when they crossed town to face the Université du Québec à Montréal Citadins. Anasse Brouk put the Stingers ahead from the penalty spot in the 32′ minute. UQÀM equalized in the 53′ minute after a slip up in Concordia’s back line.

Stingers head coach Lloyd Barker lined his side up in a 4-5-1. Anasse Brouk started up front as the lone striker. The five-man midfield consisted of Sammy Tork, Fabian Troche, Gonzalo Paredes, Gabriel Quinn and Eduardo Mazzonna. Jayson Gallahue, Ramin Mohsenin, Christopher Mirasyedi and Enos Osei made up the back line, ahead of Remo Taraschi in goal.

UQÀM was the better side at the start of the match. Taraschi was forced to make at least three big saves within the first 30 minutes. His first big stop came in the 28′ minute when UQÀM forward Rémi Veilleux found himself alone in front of goal. Taraschi deflected the shot out for a corner. On the ensuing corner, the Con U keeper came up huge when he tipped a lobbed shot over the bar.

In the 32′ minute, the Stingers transitioned quickly up the pitch. Tork made a run into the UQÀM 18-yard-box and was tripped up by a defender. The referee pointed straight for the penalty spot. Brouk stepped up and converted the kick, making up for his missed penalty two matches ago.

Two minutes before half-time, the Stingers were inches from going two-nil up. Osei rolled a ball through the UQÀM penalty area. Brouk was seconds late to the ball and missed a chance to tap in his second goal.

There was still time for an UQÀM chance. From a free kick, Concordia was fortunate as a Citadins player’s header barely missed the goal.

This was a very aggressive first half. Both sides had their fair share of fouls. Concordia found success playing down the wings. This led to the penalty kick. After the Stingers scored, they were the better side for the rest of the half.

However, UQÀM was quick to start the second half. Within the first seven minutes, Veilleux had two major chances to tie the match. Taraschi continued his solid play in the Concordia goal. He made saves on both opportunities.
One minute later in the 52′ minute, the Citadins would get their goal. UQAM defender Guillaume Rochon crossed in a ball from the left side. Every Concordia defender, including the goalkeeper, misjudged the ball. It found Sallim Dahman alone with an empty net.

The Stingers replied by bringing on Andrew Bryan and Claude Diesse. Both made an immediate impact on the match. In the 66′ minute, Diesse controlled a pass from Bryan and made an attempt to lob the UQAM keeper. The ball did not dip when it needed to.

In stoppage time, the Stingers could have been awarded another penalty kick, after a player was dragged down in the box. However, the referee kept his whistle in his pocket.

Seconds later, Diesse’s header had the Citadins goalkeeper beat, but the ball was just wide of the left post.
Both teams picked up a point in the 1-1 draw.

“I think we could have gone for the three points,” said Stingers assistant coach Francois Bastien. “But of course, we’ll take a point on the road.”

Last time both schools met, UQÀM came out on top, winning 1-0 at home. Bastien said meetings between both schools are hard to predict.

“It’s always awkward against UQÀM,” he said. “It’s a very disorganized and counter attacking game. Holes get created, players get pulled wide and pockets get created. You just never know what you’re going to get.”

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Concordia draws McGill 1-1 at home

The Stingers men’s soccer team hosted rivals McGill at Concordia Stadium on Friday night. Concordia grabbed the lead in the first half, but McGill equalized the score in the 78′ minute off a corner kick.

Concordia made three changes to their starting lineup. Midfielder Joseph Couto and forward Gabriel Quinn replaced Anasse Brouk and Sammy Tork. Goalkeeper Remo Taraschi made his first start of the season ahead of Nicholas Giannone.

The visitors threatened early in the match. In the 3′ minute, McGill’s Alexis Pradié got on the end of a cross and narrowly missed his header attempt.

Eight minutes later, the Redmen were at it again. This time, it was forward Marc Palaci-Olgun who fired his shot over the bar.

The Stingers recovered after their slow start and started to find some rhythm. In the 24′ minute, midfielder Eduardo Mazzonna picked up a loose ball in midfield and took off towards the net. He sent a pass to Andrew Bryan, whose first-touch allowed him to beat a McGill defender. Bryan centered a low ball for Mazzonna who continued his run towards goal. He made no mistake in

tapping the ball past the goalkeeper. This goal separated both sides at half-time.

Four minutes after the restart, McGill came close to tying the game. Stingers goalkeeper Taraschi made a fingertip save to keep his side ahead.

Two minutes later, Concordia striker Bryan almost doubled his team’s lead. He was played in by a good pass, but his shot did not test the McGill goalkeeper.

The next chance came in the 76′ minute. Stingers substitute Claude Diesse recovered a bouncing ball just outside the box and fired a driven shot inches wide. McGill made the Stingers pay for that miss.

In the final seconds of the match, the Stingers produced one last effort. Midfielder Fabian Troche found space, but he struck his shot just left of the goal.

“I think we played well,” said Mazzonna, who scored his first goal of the season. “We should have stayed more compact on defense. We let it slip at the end.”

“It was the best game of the season by far,” said assistant coach Francois Bastien who filled in for coach Barker. “We are progressing every game and I think we deserved the three points.”

Bastien sees a major difference in this year’s team compared to last year’s. The Stingers are more organized on both sides of the field, they just needs to work on defending set-pieces.

“We have to work on set-plays,” he added.”Defensively, we’ve been struggling all year with those, and it cost us again. We were in the driver seat this game. We controlled and had chances. When McGill started pressuring at the end we struggled a little bit, but overall it was a good game.”

 

The Stingers next match is Thursday, Sept. 20 against the UQÀM Citadins at Collège Bois-de-Boulogne. Kickoff is at 8:30 p.m.

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