Tag: Sherbrooke

Categories
Sports

Concordia 37 Sherbrooke 35: A sweet Homecoming for the Stingers

Stingers football claim their first win of the season

Where have I seen this story before?

Concordia Stingers at home against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or.

Stingers losing in the last minute of the game.

A packed stadium full of students and alumni taking in the game.

A last-second score to give the Stingers the win.

Stingers fans enjoyed an exciting matchup on Homecoming day. Photo by Laurence BD

All moments reminiscent of last year’s Homecoming game where quarterback Adam Vance threw a pass to receiver James Tyrrell in the endzone with no time left on the clock to win.

This year, the heroics belong to first-year kicker Bradley James Santos who put up the winning 36-yard field goal to give the Stingers the walk-off win in a 37-35 result that gave the Stingers their first win of the season.

“Everything was silent around me,” said Santos. “I knew my team was around me and with me. The only thing I had to do was my job. We deserved that win. We know the other W’s are coming.”

The game wasn’t always that close though. Early on, the Stingers seemed to be in control. Vance and Tyrrell were connecting all game, and their chemistry was evident. Vance ended the game with 426 yards and three touchdowns. Tyrrell collected 11 passes for 176 yards with two touchdowns. Rookie Jeremy Murphy was right behind Tyrrell with 82 yards and six catches.

“I’ve felt good all season,” said Vance. “We’ve been playing good, but we’ve struggled in the red zone and we finally figured it out this game.”

“It’s nice to finally prove it,” said Tyrrell. “We’ve always known what we can do, and it’s a relief now that we’ve done it. Adam and I have a great connection, it was almost routine.”

Defence also seemed to click for the Stingers. Linebacker Sam Brodrique collected 7.5 tackles, Khadeem Pierre and Zamaad Gambari caught an interception each and the team forced three sacks.

Samuel Brodrique collected 7.5 tackles and a forced fumble in Saturday’s matchup. Photo by Laurence BD

At half, the Stingers were up 20-13. Two touchdowns later, the Stingers led by as much as 34-15.

Then Sherbrooke took control.

The Vert et Or are a hard-nose squad, and while they may not have the most talent on the field, they’ll hit you as hard as anyone. Every inch feels like a mile against them.

The packed crowd at the Stingers Stadium saw as much, as the Vert et Or nearly came back to beat the Stingers with a flurry of deep passes, strategic play calling, an onside kick and penalties. When Sherbrooke QB Zach Cloutier found his man in the endzone with 33 seconds on the clock, you could feel the air get sucked out of the crowd. The Vert et Or struggled on offence at times during the game, but found it in the fourth quarter, where they put up 20 points.

But the Stingers didn’t quit. With the game, and potentially the season, on the line, Adam Vance showed up big. The QB first found Murphy for a 31-yard gain. Then, Vance connected with Tyrrell for a short gain. Another completed pass to Vince Alessandrini later, and the Stingers were in field goal range. Santos stepped on the field, replacing an injured Andrew Stevens, and drilled the ball far through the uprights. The team stormed the field and tackled Santos as the Stingers manage yet another late-game win against Sherbrooke.

“I went and hid in the tent on the sideline,” laughed Vance. “I was too stressed! I couldn’t watch. I just heard screaming so I figured then that we must have made it.”

“I knew it was going in 100 per cent,” said Tyrrell. “After practice we’re always around the kickers and I saw the distance and knew he had that easy.”

You could see the relief that the win gave the team. The Stingers now improve to 1-3. Breaking through for that first victory saves the season and gives the team a chance to push for that elusive third playoff spot.

The Stingers are away next week where they’ll play the UDEM Carabins on Sept. 27.

NOTE:

It was hot as heck, half of my face burnt, looking like Harvey Dent, and yes I know I complained last game about how cold and wet it was, but is it too much to ask for normal weather?

Feature photo by Laurence B-D

Categories
Student Life

Slice of Life: Finding food around Loyola

Graphic by @spooky_soda

There may not be many, but here are some off-campus resto options

Among everything else on Sherbrooke St. W, the Loyola campus seems out of place. Isolated from Concordia’s buzz, the campus has few food options: Tim Hortons, the Hive Café and two food stops in the CJ and SP buildings. If coffee and BLTs aren’t what you’re looking for, there are many other options just around the corner.

Souvlaki George

6995 Monkland Ave.
Feel like Greek food? This place will definitely have what you’re craving. Only one block East of Loyola, Souvlaki George serves traditional Greek plates such as pitas, plates, or even Quebec delicacies such as poutine. Their soft bread, well-seasoned meat and creamy tzatziki will never get old.

“Souvlaki George has this depth of flavour that reminds me of my grandmother’s food,” said Elias Grigoriadis, a Concordia student of Greek origin. “I like how you can grab something and go, as well as sit down with friends and enjoy a good meal.”

Comptoir KOYAJO
6963 Sherbrooke St. W

If greek isn’t your style, a few doors down from Souvlaki George is Comptoir KOYAJO. The restaurant offers an array of soups, noodles, rice bowls and dumplings.

The cozy restaurant (just a short walk East from Souvlaki George) serves a plate of six pork or vegetarian dumplings for $7.99. These juicy, crispy exterior, soft interior dough balls are worth the snowy trek to Comptoir KOYAJO, trust me.

NDG HotDog & Pizzeria

7363 Sherbrooke St. W.
Comfort food anyone? On the other side of Loyola, right off the corner of Westmore Ave., NDG HotDog & Pizzeria will offer you a variety of fast food options. The smell of charred pizza crust mixed with day-old frying oil will take you right back to late nights out with friends.

NDG HotDog & Pizzeria is a great spot for all circumstances; $1.25 for a steamed hot dog, $3.99 for a hamburger or a 10-inch pizza for $10.60—ideal for sharing amongst friends or for a grab-and-go meal on the way to a late night study session.

“It’s good comfort food!” said Casandra Bentivoglio, a Concordia journalism student. “It’s cheap and it’s great when you’re in a rush and hunger strikes in the middle of class.”

Café Bistro Bano
6929 Sherbrooke St. W.

With Persian tapestries and colourful lampshades as decor, coming into Café Bistro Bano feels like entering an Iranian living room. The smell of freshly infused sweet tea with hints of saffron signals to the authenticity of this Persian-Iranian coffee shop.

This is the perfect stop to enjoy a well-earned warm drink after combating the freezing cold outside. With most of their authentic teas and desserts under $10, Café Bistro Bano is worth the two-block walk from campus.

Feature graphic by @spooky_soda

Categories
Sports

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.

Categories
Sports

Triumphant home-opener for women’s rugby

Concordian file photo
Photos by Brianna Thicke

After the less than stellar result of their last pre-season game, the Stingers women’s rugby team came back in full force this Friday, beating Université de Sherbrooke 80-0.

Concordia warmed up with tackling and ball-handling drills while Sherbrooke worked 20 yards down the field on their offensive strategy. Concordia kicked off and scored the first try within the first three minutes of the game. Their speed was remarkable, both forwards and backs running circles around Sherbrooke, resulting in another try just two minutes after centre Jackie Tittley kicked the conversion goal for Concordia.

The next three tries were scored by Bianca Farella, who is new to the Stinger family but definitely knows her way around a pitch. She finished up her final season with Dawson last fall and has played at both provincial and national levels. It was announced recently that she would be one of 12 women to play in the NACRA Sevens Championship for team Canada this year in Ottawa, the winner of which will qualify for the Rugby 7s World Cup. Many Stingers rookies played Friday night’s game, but one would never have guessed; when any 15 women were on the field, it was as if they had been playing together for years.

Photos by Brianna Thicke

The women have nothing to worry about when it comes to force. The majority of their scrums were undefeated and every ruck was hit in exactly the right place. They showed dominance when it came to mauls and scored their fourth try by driving the scrum over the try line from the five yard mark. Despite their line outs being a bit shaky, the forwards played with the right amount of tenacity and fearlessness it takes to make a great rugby team.
The forwards weren’t the only impressive ones at the Sherbrooke game. The backs were in exactly the right form from the first to last minutes of the game. They utilized their excellent knowledge of switch passes, blindsiding the Sherbrooke players and scoring tries left and right. The Stingers’ 11’ try was scored by fullback Jenna Giuliani after an impressive breakthrough.

After their last try was scored with two minutes remaining, it was clear the Stingers left their mark on Sherbrooke and everyone watching in the stands.

 

The Stingers will play their next game against McGill in the Kelly-Anne Drummond Cup on Sept. 12 at Concordia Stadium. The game will start at 9 p.m.

Categories
News

Students take to streets of Sherbrooke

Photo by Navneet Pall
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Over 5,000 students and citizens attended a demonstration on Wednesday in Quebec Premier Jean Charest’s home riding of Sherbrooke.

Students bused in from across the province representing high schools, CEGEPs and universities which have been protesting the province’s tuition increases.

The Concordia contingent, which was organized by student union VP external Chad Walcott, lost a large number of supporters before the bus even left the Hall building.

Earlier in the day, about 60 students were arrested during a protest which occurred at the Eaton Centre shopping mall as well as the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. Police say that those arrested were involved in “mischief” though it is not completely clear what the students have been charged with.

Walcott confirmed that a number of those arrested were Concordia students who were supposed to be on the bus, which departed at 11 a.m. Ultimately the group leaving from campus was quite small, with only six people travelling to Sherbrooke for the march.

The protesters congregated at the University of Sherbrooke and met up with an even larger group before walking all the way to the premier’s local office. Once there, students continued to cheer and chant as leaders of the movement made speeches.

 

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