Luc Lang
luclang@qctonline.com

The soccer teams at Université Laval both competed at the U Sports
national championships this past weekend. The women’s tournament was held at Cape Breton University in Sydney, N.S. and the men’s tournament was held at Carleton University in Ottawa.

After narrowly missing out on the championship game, the Rouge et Or women played the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds for the bronze medal on Nov. 21.

Both teams failed to find the back of the net throughout regulation and overtime. The Rouge et Or eventually defeated UBC 1-0, (3-1 on penalty kicks). Laval also finished third in 2002 and 2015 under then-head coach, the late Helder Duarte.

On Nov. 20, the Rouge et Or were minutes away from the title game when Mathilde Rousseau scored her second goal in five minutes to give Laval a 2-1 lead over the Trinity Western University Spartans in the semifinal. However, the Spartans tied the game in the 89th minute to send the match into overtime.

The first half of extra time produced no goals from either team, but the Spartans scored in the 105th minute and added an insurance goal two minutes later to book their ticket to the U Sports final, where they faced the MacEwan University Griffins of Edmonton, Alta.
Laval qualified for the semi-final when they edged out the Western University Mustangs 1-0 on a goal from fifth-year student Arielle Roy-Petitclerc in the 60th minute.

Meanwhile, in Ottawa, the Rouge et Or men’s team finished the U Sports championship in fifth place after they beat the University of Victoria Vikes 3-0 in the consolation playoff on Nov. 20.

Jérémy Ménard led the team offensively with two goals. Frank Sany added another goal in the 90th minute.

Laval started the tournament with a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat by the Cape Breton University Capers on Nov. 18. The Capers scored early in the first half and added another goal in the 55th minute.

The Rouge et Or finally got on the board in the 74th minute, courtesy of Baptiste Toussaint. Jean-Philippe Toussaint sent his team into a frenzy when he tied the game at 2-2 pushing the game to overtime. However, the Capers got the only goal during extra time, dashing Laval’s hopes of a national title.

Laval qualified for the consolation playoff the next day with a 4-2 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

Basketball

The 2021-22 basketball season is well underway in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) at both the college and university levels.

The CEGEP Champlain St. Lawrence Lady Lions are undefeated in four games this season, winning their latest game, 89-54, over the Filons from Cégep de Thetford, on Nov. 19 in the Lions’ Den gymnasium. The St. Lawrence women handed the Filons their first defeat of the season.

Their next game will be Dec. 3 when they visit the Titans at Cégep de Limoilou.

The men’s hoops team did not have the same success against the Filons, as they were beaten 119-77 at home on Nov. 19.

The loss brings the Lions’ record to one win and two losses. Their next game is on Nov. 26, when they visit the Jeannois from Collège d’Alma. Both teams are tied for fifth place in their division. Meanwhile, in university basketball, both the men’s and women’s teams at Université Laval returned from Montreal with a victory.

The Rouge et Or men’s team got their first win of the 2021-22 season with a 78-71 victory over the Concordia Stingers on Nov. 20. Steeve Joseph was the top scorer for Laval with 24 points, including four three-pointers.

Earlier, the Laval women’s team, led by Léa Dominique’s 17 points, edged Concordia 70-67. The Rouge et Or are now tied with the Stingers for first in the RSEQ standings.

Both Rouge et Or basketball teams host McGill University on Nov. 26. Tipoff for the women’s game is at 6 p.m., while the men follow at 8 p.m. at the Amphithéâtre Desjardins.