Tag: Football

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Shooting for a championship

Trenton Miller makes a big play against the McGill Redmen. Photos by Andrej Ivanov.

Football quarterback Trenton Miller is optimistic about the season

Stingers quarterback Trenton Miller took the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) by storm last year in his rookie season. Miller broke Stingers records, led the team to the playoffs and won the Réseau du sport étudiant de Québec (RSEQ) MVP award. This year, Miller is ready to continue that success.

“The goal this year for everyone is to win the Vanier Cup,” Miller said. “Our motto is to go 1-0 every week and get it done that way. We see ourselves winning a championship.”

Last year, the Stingers finished with a record of 4-4, which included two wins against McGill and two wins against Bishops. In eight games, Miller threw for 2,384 yards and 20 touchdowns, which is a Stingers record. In addition to Miller’s 20 passing touchdowns, he also had three rushing touchdowns.

Thanks to Miller’s play, the Stingers lead the RSEQ division in passing offense, while Miller led all RSEQ quarterbacks in scoring.

Miller said that he is ready to build on the success of last year, however, he added that the team needs to beat Montreal and Laval if they want to win the Vanier Cup.

“Montreal is a team we have to beat if we want to get to the final,” Miller said. “When we lost to Montreal last year, it was because of a few unlucky bounces. They made it to the Vanier Cup last year, so we feel like we are close.”

Miller continued by saying that he hopes Concordia will “reclaim” Montreal when it comes to football.

Miller also said that the entire team, as well as the coaching staff and management. have come together in the off-season and generated a lot of excitement amongst each other.

“There has never been a more optimistic season in my career,” Miller said. “At the team golf tournament, donors were all very excited to get started and we could feel that energy. It’s a very exciting time to be with the Stingers.”

At the beginning of the season, Miller was not the starter, however, by the second game, he had won himself the position. Miller came to the Stingers from the United States, which has different rules when it comes to football. For example, Canadian football uses three downs instead of four, while also using a bigger ball and a bigger field. Miller said it took some time gettng used to the new style of play before settling in as a starter.

“[Canadian rules were] definitely a change I had to deal with,” Miller said. “It took me four to five weeks to get used to it all.”

For Miller, playing a year with the team and proving himself as a leader has helped him gain his teammates’ confidence. Miller said that having the support of his squad is a huge confidence boost and he can’t wait to get on the field to build on the success of last year. Miller feels like he will fit in nicely with the team, as he has gained a lot of respect since last season.

Despite breaking the Stingers touchdown record and getting the RSEQ MVP nod, Miller remains humble. According to Miller, it is his team and his one-of-a-kind offensive line that has allowed him to excel as a quarterback.

“I’ve never seen such an incredible offensive line since Division 1 [National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)],” Miller said. “These guys are crazy good and I think that they can easily build a legacy for themselves here.”

Miller added, with the addition of some new recruits to the program, the offensive line has gotten even stronger.

“They’re tough, they’re mean and they’re a powerhouse,” Miller said.

Apart from Miller’s high praise for his teammates and his desire to beat teams like the Université de Montréal Carabins, the Buffalo, N.Y. native is mostly looking forward to his first game of the season. On Sept. 2, the Stingers will be traveling to Percival Molson Stadium to take on their crosstown rivals, the McGill Redmen.

The Stingers beat the Redmen twice last season, including a 43-41 last-minute victory that launched the Stingers into the playoffs. Miller is excited to play the long-time rival, but is hesitant to even say the word “McGill”.

“I’ve been having dreams of beating [McGill] for the last two weeks,” Miller said. “I can’t wait to get into that first game. We want to win that game badly.”

The first game against McGill is also the Shaughnessy Cup, which will be Miller and his teammates’ first chance of making an impression on the RSEQ division and their first stepping stone on the road to the Vanier Cup.

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A major defeat for Stingers by Carabins

A 48-10 score says it all. There aren’t many positives to take from such a lopsided loss. The Stingers were dominated on all sides of the ball, be it on the offense, defence or special teams. The Université de Montréal Carabins won the battle at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

While Concordia was still in the game going into the fourth quarter – only trailing by 10 – the Carabins scored 28 unanswered points in the fourth to put the Stingers away and move on to 2-0, leaving Concordia with a record of 1-1.

Quarterback Reid Quest went 15-for-23 in passing attempts for 186 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was sacked 10 times, which prevented Concordia’s offence from finding a rhythm. They also fumbled five times, losing two of them.

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” said Quest. “A lot of mental errors stalled our drives. They’re a great team and they capitalized on [that].”

Montreal went to the running game early, as running back Rotrand Sené helped the Carabins take advantage of great field position, leading a 42-yard drive. It was capped with a 3-yard touchdown pass by Alexandre Nadeau-Piuze to Mikhail Davidson.

Nadeau-Piuze fumbled deep in Concordia territory on the next possession, but the Stingers went two-and-out on the ensuing drive. Montreal then blocked Keegan Treloar’s punt, but fumbled the ball at the goal line, giving Concordia a touchback and a new set of downs. The Stingers then threw an interception, once again giving Montreal a chance at Concordia’s 23-yard line.

The Carabins went up two scores after Nadeau-Piuze took it in himself on a nine-yard touchdown run.

Concordia had trouble advancing the ball early, but a facemask penalty helped them advance the ball after Quest was yanked by the helmet on a sack. He then threw his best pass of the day, finding Jamal Henry for a 53-yard touchdown pass, cutting the lead in half.

The Stingers had chances to inch closer, but they kicked only one field goal on four tries, leaving nine points off the board. Two were missed by kicker Keegan Treloar and one was blocked. In the end, nine points turned out to be miniscule when looking at the final deficit.

Montreal ended the first half with a 23-yard chip shot by Charles Bauer bringing the halftime score to 17-7. The two teams traded field goals in the third quarter before Montreal ran away with the game. Concordia’s defence was looking worn down by the time the fourth quarter came along. They forced five fumbles, recovering four which kept the Stingers in the game, but they couldn’t keep it up for all four quarters.

“It’s all a matter of execution,” said safety Nathan Taylor. “We just let it get away from us in the last 15 minutes. When we look back and watch the game tape, we’re going to be very disappointed.”

Montreal won in all phases of the game and owned the line of scrimmage for most of the game. It’s always the most important battle in a football game and the Carabins were the better team and well-deserving of the victory.

 

The Stingers will look to recover this Saturday at 12 p.m. against St. Francis Xavier.

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Season opener ends in disappointment

Photos by Brianna Thicke

Hoping to make a statement against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or, the Stingers rugby team came up short in their home opener on Friday night.

“We put ourselves under a load of pressure and we didn’t need too,” said Head Coach Clive Gibson. “We did not play according to our game plan.”

The squad had prepared for a more positive start to the season, but it was clear that this is still a young roster.

The speed of the back line is one of the Stingers strongest assets. Unfortunately, the ball rarely made its way towards them in this game due to many penalties and dropped balls. Concordia was unable to retain ball possession and an abundance of unforced errors cost the team their first game of the season.

While the offensive side of the ball wasn’t clicking, the defense handled itself very well. They were constantly being threatened but managed to fend off the opposition for the majority of the game.

The lack of discipline was also a problem for the Stingers. They received two yellow cards which cost them a player for 10 minutes on both occasions.

“Being short a man for 20 minutes of the game makes it very tough to win,” added Gibson.

Concordia managed to play well throughout the first penalty by applying a lot of pressure. On the second one, the defense was strong.

In the later stages of the match, Sherbrooke capitalized over a tired Stingers team, scoring a try in the final 10 minutes of the game to put them up 14-13. This would become the final score of the game.

Concordia will not have much time to practice this week as they play on Wednesday against rivals McGill. The team will look to improve on decision-making with the ball, their game plan and teamwork.

“The level of play is too high,” added Gibson. “If they don’t learn to play as a team, they’re never going to win, not at this level.”

This loss, however, was not perceived as a back-breaker by captain Dario Pellizzari. He said this loss should not be viewed as a step back in the squad’s progress, but rather a stepping stone for the greater challenges that await the Stingers in the next few weeks.

“Fortunately we have another seven games in the season to pull ourselves together and make a cup run,” he said. “This loss may prove to do us [good] in the end.”

 

The game against McGill on Wednesday is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Concordia Stadium.

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Back-to-back goals lead to first victory

Concordia file photo.

Concordia women’s soccer team rebounded from their opening loss by beating the UQTR Patriotes on Sunday afternoon. The Stingers scored two second-half goals, four minutes apart, to collect their first three points.

Photos by Brianna Thicke

 

Head coach Jorge Sanchez lined his side up in a 4-4-2 formation. Katrina Filiatrault, Shannon Travers, Elizabeth McDonald and Lindsey Brooks made up the back line. The four midfielders were Melissa Kedro, Valerie Ishak, Kayla Myre and Alexandra Dragan. Jennifer Duff and Gabriela Padvaiskas were paired as the two strikers. Saby Dagenais was the goalkeeper.

UQTR took control early, but only had their first chance in the 19’ minute. Patriotes forward Marie-Michelle Lapointe found herself on a breakaway and ended up rolling her shot at Dagenais.

Six minutes later, UQTR were at it again. Claudia Languedoc almost put the visitors up with her shot inside the box but Concordia center back Shannon Travers did well to block the effort.

The Stingers had their best chance of the half in the 39th minute. After a failed corner kick, the maroon-and-gold recovered the ball and sent in a cross. The ball found Kendro at the far post, but she sent her shot over the bar.

Two minutes later, the Patriotes should have opened the scoring when Lapointe went in on another breakaway. Dagenais was forced to make a terrific stop to keep the score level.

Concordia came out flying after the halftime break. In the 53’ minute, Padvaiskas scored her first goal of the season after receiving an accurate pass from Kendro.

Four minutes later, substitute Shauna Zilversmit made it 2-0. Her powerful shot from the left side of the box found the far side of the goal. Duff picked up an assist on the play.

The two quick goals took any UQTR momentum away; they could not find an answer. Lapointe, the team’s most dangerous player, missed two more chances to reduce the deficit.

The Stingers stayed in command and almost added a third goal in the 84’ minute. Substitute Bella James lobbed a pass to Duff inside the box. Her redirecting shot hit the crossbar and bounced off the line.

The match stayed at 2-0 and ultimately ended that way. The Stingers have now racked up one win and one loss this season.

“What I like about this team is that we kept our head in the game for a lot of the time,” said Sanchez. “We moved the ball around, and for the most part, we stuck to the game plan, kept possession, made them chase us and took advantage of the two good chances we had. That was the difference.”

 

Concordia’s next match is at home on Friday, Sept. 14 against the McGill Martlets in another edition of the Erica Cadieux Memorial Game. Kickoff is at 8:30 p.m.

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Stingers recover after last week’s upset

Photo courtesy of stingers.ca
Photos by Brianna Thicke

This weekend, the Concordia men’s soccer team defeated the UQTR Patriotes 2-0 in their home opener. Striker Andrew Bryan opened the scoring in the 61’ minute. Substitute Claude Diesse scored in stoppage time to ensure the victory.

The Stingers kept the same starting lineup from their loss at U de M on Thursday. Nicholas Giannone started in goal. His back line consisted of Michael Al Tork, Ramin Mohsenin, Christopher Mirasyedi and Enos Osei. Eduardo Mazzonna, Gonzalo Paredes, Fabian Troche and Sammy Tork completed the midfield with Anasse Brouk playing behind Bryan up front.

The Stingers had the first chance in the 12’ minute when newcomer Bryan missed his header attempt.

The visitors almost made Concordia pay for the early miss. In the 21′ minute, UQTR forward Valentin Seger was advancing against keeper Giannone. Seger ended up blasting his shot over the bar.

In the dying moments of the first half, the visiting Patriotes almost opened the scoring. Stingers goalkeeper Giannone was forced to make a terrific diving stop.

The action got off to a quick start in the second half. Four minutes in, the maroon-and-gold were awarded a penalty kick. Brouk stepped up to take the spot kick, but his shot was saved by UQTR goalkeeper Raphaël Bélanger Vaillancourt.

Two minutes later, Brouk almost redeemed himself. After being played through, the Stingers forward decided to square a ball for on-rushing substitute Jose Prida. The play was broken up by a Patriotes defender.

On the hour mark, UQTR were inches from finding the goal. Concordia defender Enos Osei made a last minute block to deny any scoring chance.

One minute later, Bryan found the back of the net at the other end of the pitch. Diesse’s perfectly timed through-ball found the Stingers striker, who calmly curled a shot to the bottom right corner.

In the 71′ minute, UQTR midfielder Yannick Fournier tested substitute Stingers goalkeeper Remo Taraschi with a strong shot. Taraschi was able to make a strong save.

The Stingers got stronger as the game concluded. Diesse and Amadou Lam missed great chances to put the game away with their one-on-ones with the Patriotes keeper. Concordia eventually iced the match when Diesse converted a breakaway.

The team played a strong match from start to finish. On defense, they were organized, applied lots of pressure on the ball and were able to recover after UQTR misses. With possession, the Stingers moved the ball fluidly and outside midfielders played wide to stretch out the field. The squad seemed confident and was able to create many chances.

“This is our first win of the season, so of course it’s nice to say that it could have been by more,” said Stingers assistant coach Francois Bastien. “We’ll take the three points and the two goals that we scored and work on that. Of course I’m very happy, but there’s still a lot of work to do though.”

Bryan, who scored his first goal in a Stingers uniform, said he was very pleased with his goal and the result.

“It felt amazing,” he said. “It felt like a great relief that I can share with my teammates. It’s definitely a great feeling to be scoring at home in front of fans.”

 

The team will play again on Friday, Sept. 14 against the McGill Redmen at home. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

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Third time’s a charm?

Being always the bridesmaid in back-to-back finals, the men’s rugby squad kicked off camp with one goal in mind: win the championship.

Each year the roster shuffles. Despite a promising rookie class, this year’s group will need to dig deep in order to fill the gap left from the losses of last year’s split captains Jimmy Bang and Jonathan Dextras-Romagnino

“Losing the leadership of two captains is huge,” said head coach Clive Gibson. Luckily for them, new team captain Dario Pellizzari has been “stepping up in a big way,” said Gibson. “He’s done many positive things that will make team unity very strong this year.”

“Championships are made through overcoming failure and adversity,” said Pellizzari. “The guys know what it feels like to lose two years in a row and now we know what to expect.”

For the majority of the student body, the last weeks of August are the last grasp at summer freedom. But for the Stingers rugby team, it’s the beginning of training camp and this means the fall season is just around the corner.

“Everyone’s looking at you for inspiration,” Pellizzari explained. “I was able to instill my values in the team this winter: work ethic, accountability and respect. If we stick to these values throughout the year, we’ll see great results.”

Along with this common set of values, a ‘no excuses’ attitude has been adopted by the veterans down to the rookies of this year’s team.

While Gibson was adamant about keeping his coaching strategies off the record, he did mention that he, along with his coaching staff, are not practitioners of the traditional rugby game. This is one of the many reasons for their success as of late.

“As a coaching staff, we are extremely committed to what we’d like to consider innovation,” said Gibson. “We are not traditional rugby minds. We’re always looking for that new angle or new approach. I think we may have found it.”

This year marked a very progressive time for the Stingers for the team has hired someone to recruit players on CÉGEP teams. This will allow the coach, who used to take on this role, to focus more on his team.

“I think it might be our year,” admitted Gibson. “There are still some key elements that need to be sorted out, but we’ve got time.”

The Stingers open their season at home on Friday, Sept. 7 at 9 p.m. against Sherbrooke.

 

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Stingers open new season with a victory

Concordia Stingers VS. Bishop’s Gaiters this past Saturday. Photo by Marilla Steuter-Martin

The Concordia Stingers started the 2012 season with a step in the right direction; a win against Bishop’s University Gaiters.

The afternoon game was played for an audience of over 2,400 spectators at Concordia Stadium on Loyola Campus.

The team got off to a quick start scoring inside the first two minutes. Stingers slotback Kris Bastien caught a 19-yard pass from quarterback Reid Quest. Bastien would go on to be Concordia’s standout player with six receptions totalling 242 yards and two touchdowns.

Concordia held a comfortable 31-11 lead at halftime.

The Stingers survived a third quarter scare and managed to hold on in the final frame winning 42-36.

Concordia will look to stay undefeated when they play an away game at Université de Montréal on Friday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m.

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Stingers look to reach next level

In the last few seasons, the Concordia Stingers appeared to be treading water. The rebuilding process has had them stand pat with back-to-back 4-5 seasons in 2010 and 2011, following a 3-5 season in 2009. Although, their 4-5 record last year was enough for a playoff spot, they were bounced 33-7 by the Laval Rouge et Or.

Not everything has come together for Concordia. The defence was the strongest unit for the team, as players like Max Caron, Kris Robertson and Nathan Taylor stepped up for the Stingers. Caron led the CIS with 78.5 tackles and led the nation in solo tackles. He added five interceptions, including three returned for touchdowns, to that lead. Last year, he was awarded the Presidents’ Trophy as the outstanding defensive player in the CIS.

Kris Robertson continuously made great plays on defense and was a constant spark returning kicks. He averaged 24.4 yards per return and scored two touchdowns on special teams. Robertson said he feels the veteran Stingers need to lead the way in order for the team to not only make the playoffs again, but to enjoy success in the post-season.

“This year we have all the necessary tools to do big things,” he explained. “It’s on us vets to make sure we get there. We just need to be unified and I believe the sky is the limit.”

Safety Nathan Taylor said that while it’s the offence’s job to score points, it’s the defence’s job to make it easier and set things up.

“We need to make more plays and create more turnovers on defence,” said Taylor. “We need to help the offence get good field position whenever possible.”

The units will have to help each other, with the defence getting quick stops and the offence needing to keep the ball moving.

Quarterback Reid Quest took over mid-season for Terrance Morsink in 2011. He now enters the season as the full-fledged starter, and as usual, things will have to start with the quarterback.

“We need to sustain drives, get first downs and wear down opposing defences,” Quest said. “If we can do that, we’ll be a tough team to beat.”

For Concordia to truly have a chance at success and get past the first round, they’ll need to overcome the tougher teams in the conference. They lost to Laval and Sherbrooke twice, and 36-1 against the Montréal Carabins last season. While it’s a near-impossibility to beat the Rouge et Or, as they’ve proven year after year, the Stingers at least need to overcome the other two teams that finished above them in 2011. After all, getting to the playoffs won’t mean much if they’ll be easily beat in the first round.

The Stingers have not won a playoff game in four years, and they’ll no doubt want to change that this season. Failure to do so only means that they haven’t progressed since last season. At the very least, they’ll have to be more competitive with the tougher teams of the QUFL.

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Stingers gear up for a killer season

Concordian file photo

Before students step into classes on Sept. 5, the Stingers’ season will have already begun. The first team to play is the football team starting the 2012 season with a home-opener against Bishop’s on Sept. 1 at 1 p.m..

For football fans, this will be the only chance to see the Stingers play at home before the end of the month. Following this game against Bishop’s, the team will play three road games against Université de Montreal on Sept. 7, St. Francis Xavier on Sept. 15 and will face off against Bishop’s once more on Sept. 22. Other important dates include an away game to rivals McGill on Oct. 13 and a home game against Laval – the defending champions – to conclude the regular season on Oct. 27.

Soccer enthusiasts will have to wait one day after the school year’s arrival as the men’s and women’s teams each have an away fixture against U de M to kick off the season on Sept. 6. The men’s team looks to improve on last year’s two losses against the same school. The women’s team seeks revenge after being outscored 1-9 by Montreal over both matches last season. The home opener for both teams will be three days later on the ninth. The double header starts at 1 p.m. for the men’s while the women’s team play at 3 p.m. both against UQTR.

Still in the first week of school, the rugby teams play their home-openers on Friday, Sept. 7. The women’s team plays first at 7 p.m. against Sherbrooke. Two hours later, the men’s team takes on Sherbrooke. If you miss the first home-opener, both Stingers teams are in action the following Wednesday. They will welcome McGill in the same time slots.

Hockey fans will have to wait until October to see their Stingers teams play. The men’s team play rivals McGill at home on Oct. 5. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Ed Meagher Arena. Both teams split the season series last year with two wins apiece. The women’s first game is also at home against McGill, although not on the same day. The game is scheduled for Oct. 13 at 2:30 p.m.

As for the most success, last year’s action was on the court. The Stingers basketball season runs from early November until the end of February. The men’s team’s quest to win a third straight championship begins on Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. on the road against UQAM. Their home-opener will take place on Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. against Laval. The women’s team will also play on those same days against the same opponents. They will play an earlier 6 p.m. game on both occasions. Both the men’s and women’s teams will participate in at least two pre-season tournaments.

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Looking back on the 2011-2012 Stingers teams

It was a mixture of highs and lows for Concordia’s Stingers teams last year. The most successful was the men’s basketball team which won their league, the playoffs, and had a shot at the national title.

This team is a favourite for the championship almost every season. Playing in a league which includes McGill, UQAM, Laval, and Bishop’s, the Stingers have topped their division for the last two seasons. Head coach John Dore, who is entering his 24th straight season with the team, led them to a 14-2 record last year, finishing four wins ahead of their biggest competitors McGill. The Stingers went on to beat UQAM by 30 points in the playoff finals. However, in the national championship, the team lost both games.

On the women’s side of the court, the Stingers finished second in the league and made it to the finals. The team opened the season on a high note, beating rivals, and eventual champions, McGill 75-66 on the road. Head Coach Keith Pruden, who has been behind the bench since 1995, led the team to a respectful 8-8 record. Although the women’s basketball team finished the season in second place, they boasted the league’s best defense. In the playoffs, the Stingers cruised past Bishop’s in the semi-finals, but fell to McGill in the finals.

On the ice, the men’s hockey team had a year filled with ups and downs. In the 10-team OUA East division, a division featuring both Ontario and Quebec universities, the Stingers missed the playoffs due to the second tie-breaker. The team tied with Queen’s University with 28 points, with both teams sharing the head-to-head record. It came down to goal differential in both their season games. One of the highlights last year was a thrilling 4-2 victory against McGill late in the season keeping their playoff hopes alive.

The women’s hockey team ended the 2011-12 season in last place. They were four points outside the playoffs. With a record of 4-15-1, the Stingers were battling Ottawa for the final playoff spot. A 6-2 home win over Ottawa in the second-to-last game of the season wasn’t enough to keep their playoff dreams alive.

On the football field, it took a victory in the final game of the season to send the team into the playoffs. The Stingers finished the year with four wins and five defeats, good enough for the fourth and final playoff spot. In the playoffs, the team fell to the eventual Quebec champions Laval Rouge et Or.

In the other kind of football, the men’s soccer team finished the season in sixth place with three wins, eight losses, and one draw. The Stingers were only seven points away from the playoffs. Head coach Lloyd Barker and the rest of the squad expect a better season this year.

The women’s soccer team also finished in second-to-last place. The Stingers finished in ninth place with two victories, nine losses, and three draws matching their 2010 record. Though, the women’s team does play in a difficult division which is dominated by U de M, McGill, Sherbrooke, and Laval.

In the short rugby season, the men’s team finished in third place with one win, four losses, and one tie.  A four-team division meant the Stingers automatically made the playoffs. In the semi-finals, they narrowly beat second place Bishop’s before losing to McGill in the finals.

The women’s rugby team had a similar season, which also took them to the finals. The Stingers finished the year in second place out of six teams and qualified for the playoffs. Their semi-final game was a win against McGill at home but the they ultimately lost to an undefeated Laval in the finals.

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Stingers looking for a comeback

Concordia’s Men’s Soccer team will face U de M in their season opener Sept. 6

The fall semester is right around the corner. For Stingers enthusiasts, this means your favourite university sports are back and better than ever. As the regular season approaches, the Stingers Men’s Soccer team is looking to improve on last year’s results.

The Stingers kick off their season on September 6 with a tough trip to last season’s champions, Université de Montreal. Concordia lost both matches to Montreal in 2011, losing 3-1, and again 4-0 at Concordia Stadium.

Prior to the first match, Stingers Head Coach Lloyd Barker has only three weeks of pre-season to prepare his squad for the upcoming year. In accordance with league rules, teams can only return to action in mid-August.

During the three week build-up to the season, Barker hopes to play around four or five exhibitions against CEGEPs, AAA teams and other Universities. An estimated 50 hopefuls will try-out for the Maroon-and-Gold, but the final squad will only consist of 23 players.

“We’ve got a few new players coming in,” Barker said. “We’ve got the nucleus coming back and we’re not losing many, we only lost two to graduation.”

The two players leaving the squad are forward, Alfred Moody, and mid-fielder, Ali Nafii. Moody played in every single match last season and finished with three goals. Nafii made three appearances during the year.

Out of the returning players, Barker confirmed leading goal-scorer, Karim Haroun, will be returning to camp in August. Haroun led the Stingers with five goals, which was good enough to make him tied for second in the league.

In terms of additions, forward Andrew Bryan looks to be joining the Stingers. Bryan currently plays in the same Division One AAA league as Haroun, except he represents Lakeshore. Bryan is averaging nearly a goal per game so far. Barker believes Bryan will be a key addition to solve the team’s problems up front.

Last season, Concordia scored only 15 goals, tied for second last with UQAM. Only University de Sherbrooke scored fewer goals. They managed to find the net a woeful four times. To make matters worse for the Stingers, six of their 15 goals came from forfeits. A forfeited game results in an automatic three-nil win.

Defense has also been a problem for the Stingers in the past. Last season Concordia conceded a league high 29 goals. That’s an average of 2.42 goals against, every match. Barker, who spent some time playing as a defender for the Montreal Impact in the past, believes minimizing mistakes at the back will give the team a better chance of getting results.

“We have to do a better job of playing to our potential,” he explained. “This year, we expect a little bit more maturity from the returning guys and a better understanding of what we are trying to do defensively. Hopefully that will be the ingredient to staying in the game.”

Coach Barker also said that the team’s lack of success has had a notable impact on Stinger spirit. It’s his hope that a winning streak might draw people back into the seats.

“I tell my players, don’t expect fans to come until we start winning games,” Barker said. “Everybody loves sports, but the enthusiasm is a lot higher when you are winning. I would love to see games with a good amount of fans and games where support is strong. Everything starts with winning.”

Since being named Stringers Head Coach in 2007, Barker is still tweaking things and learning about his squad.

“Each year I learn something different,” he said. “As far as practices, I’ve learned to tinker the times so we could get a good attendance. I’m still developing the art of adapting to exam schedule.”

To summarize what went wrong in 2011, Barker says the team was inconsistent in front of goal. Last minute goals crushed the Stingers last year and being able to stay focused the entire 90 minutes will be key for the team.

Making the playoffs is a reasonable objective for the Stingers. Despite struggles in 2011, Concordia only missed the playoffs by seven points. They finished with three wins, eight losses and one draw. In a league with seven teams, the top four in the standings move on to the playoffs in November.

Following the first match against Université de Montreal on September 6, the Stingers will return to Concordia for its home opener on September 9 against Université de Trois-Rivieres.

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Most exciting Stinger moments of 2011-12

Men’s hockey came up short of the playoffs but did manage to upset rival McGill twice in the regular season. Photo by Navneet Pall

During the course of a long year, teams go through many ups and downs.

And seeing as no one wants to relive the low points because they’re depressing, let’s use this school year’s final edition of The Concordian to take a trip down memory lane and remember the best games from this season.

Men’s basketball

RSEQ semifinals — Feb. 29

Concordia 66 vs. Laval 65

This was by far the most exciting game of the school year. Playing in front of a packed and rowdy gym at home, Concordia was a heavy favourite against the Rouge et Or. Only Laval didn’t seem to care. Despite going 5-11 in the regular season (nine fewer wins than Concordia), Laval was up six points with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and seemed poised to pull off the upset of the year. Then the Stingers turned it on. Concordia forced four turnovers in the final two minutes, electrifying the small gym which was about as loud as a 20,000-seat arena that night. All-star guard Kyle Desmarais scored five points in the final 30 seconds to advance Concordia to the RSEQ finals where they would defeat UQAM and move to nationals.

Men’s hockey came up short of the playoffs but did manage to upset rival McGill twice in the regular season. Photo by Navneet Pall

 

Women’s basketball

RSEQ semifinals — Feb. 28

Concordia 65 vs. Bishop’s 53

Concordia struggled down the stretch in the regular season and played a horrendous first quarter against Bishop’s. Down 24-7 after the game’s opening 10 minutes, it looked as though the season was going to come to an abrupt and disappointing end. Things began to turn around in the second quarter though. Conference MVP Kaylah Barrett scored 10 points in the quarter and helped bring the Stingers within four points of the Gaiters. After a halftime pep talk from coach Keith Pruden, the Stingers came out going for the jugular. Sharpshooting and tough defensive play gave the Stingers an eight-point lead into the fourth and the team never looked back. It was the team’s biggest comeback of the season.

 

Men’s hockey

Regular season — Feb. 3

Concordia 4 vs. McGill 2

Battling for their playoff lives, the Stingers were in tough on the road in McGill’s McConnell Arena playing the future national champs. Not to be intimidated by the circumstances though, Concordia defeated its archrival for the second time in the season—two of McGill’s only six losses came against the Stingers this year. Tied at one in the third period, Michael Blundon and George Lovatsis scored power-play goals within 32 seconds of each other to give Concordia a 3-1 lead that they would not relinquish. The win put Concordia in the driver’s seat in the OUA east playoff race. However, the Stingers came up short of the post-season.

 

Women’s rugby

RSEQ semifinals — Oct. 21

Concordia 18 vs. McGill 8

After a successful regular season, Concordia faced its rival in the semis and, for the second time of the year, defeated McGill. The game was very close, but the Stingers were able to dig deep and advance to the RSEQ finals for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, Laval put up a roadblock again, denying Concordia a trip to nationals.

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