The McGill Martlets soccer team’s (4-4-2) winless streak continued Thursday night, Oct. 4, as they fell to the Concordia Stingers (3-6-1) by a score of 2-1.

McGill started off strong, creating two chances on goal in the opening five minutes. The fifth minute even saw cries for a penalty, after a Concordia outfield player allegedly handled the ball in the penalty box, but the referee waved play on. Goalkeeping errors from the Concordia keeper in the 14th and 23rd minutes gifted the Martlets with two opportunities for wide-open goals, but on both occasions, they failed to hit the mark. A Concordia striker got the Stingers’ best chance of the half in the 30th minute when she found herself one-on-one with Martlet goalie Sarah Dubois, but her shot went right into Dubois’ hands.

McGill then piled on the pressure, and fourth-year forward Tia Lore broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute. After the Concordia keeper rushed off her line again, Lore was free in front of the goal to convert an incoming cross. Forward Ariane Ducharme was also through on goal in the 39th minute, but, this time, the Stingers keeper was able to make the save. Ducharme again broke free in the 40th minute, but was stopped in her tracks by a brilliant sliding tackle from a Concordia defender.

McGill continued to dominate the scoring chances at the start of the second half, but second-year forward Victoria Sturgess missed an open shot in the 46th minute, and third-year centre-back Nathalie Brunelle hit the crossbar a minute later.

The Martlets began to lose their composure after Concordia was awarded a penalty in the 61st minute when a McGill defender tripped a Concordia forward. Dubois saved the initial penalty shot, but she couldn’t stop the second effort off of the rebound, levelling the game 1-1.

“We didn’t capitalize on the chances we made, and didn’t secure the win early on, which kept them in the game,” Dubois said. “After the first goal, panic set in, and a bad pass put my centre-back in a hard position and led to a PK.”

Concordia struck again two minutes later when a midfielder converted a cross from a set-piece. The Martlets had a chance to come back once in the 65th minute, when the Concordia keeper fumbled a cross and again, three minutes later, but brilliant recovering saves kept the game in the Stingers’ favour. Concordia held on to their lead for the rest of the second half, condemning the Martlets to yet another loss.

Nonetheless, Martlets Head Coach Jose-Luis Valdes remained positive about his team’s performance.

“Despite the loss, I am still happy with the way the team played,” Valdes said. “We’re moving in the right direction. It was just a very unlucky loss today.”

Moment of the Game

Concordia scored against the run of play as a result of a free kick, which ultimately caused the Martlets to lose their composure.

Quotable

“We will have to change our mindset and tactics for this week as we play Laval. [They are] a much stronger team that will be coming to get a win out of us.” – Tia Lore

Stat Corner

McGill had 11 attempts on goal and four on target, while Concordia had just six attempts and three on target.