Stellar soccer squad scoreless in Sherbrooke

 

SHERBROOKE -- McGill goalkeeper Valérie Labbé registered a season-high eight saves to earn a shutout  but it wasn't enough as the No.2-ranked McGill women's soccer team had to settle for a scoreless draw against fourth-place Sherbrooke, Sunday. The result was McGill's fifth consecutive whitewash and extended the team's shutout sequence to 476 minutes, dating back to a 4-2 win over Laval on Sept. 16.

 

McGill, which fielded an injury depleted line-up, had beaten the Vert & Or 5-1 in the season-opener at Molson Stadium on Sept. 10.

 

It was the second straight goose-egg for Labbé, a five-foot-seven freshman from Mascouche, Que., who improved her record to 4-0. But she was outshone by Marie-Michelle Coulombe, a six-foot native of Malartic, Que., who was credited with 12 saves en route to posting her fourth whitewash of the season.

 

In a very evenly-matched contest, Sherbrooke had the more dangerous chances in the first 30 minutes, including a pair of great scoring opportunities early on by striker Chloé Belhumeur-Limoges.

 

"As expected, it took us awhile to adjust to the grass field, which was in great condition considering the rain and flooding issues in Sherbrooke over the past few days," said Marc Mounicot, head coach of the Martlets. "Both 'keepers (Coulombe and Labbé) had a solid performance and both players were very physical, all over the pitch."

 

Despite their outstanding play in nets, the opposing head coaches selected McGill rearguard Julia Bahen of Vancouver, B.C., and Sherbrooke defender Élyse Turcotte as the players of the game.

 

McGill picked up the tempo as halftime approached and controlled most the play for the last 60 minutes. Martlets forward Kelsey Wilson, a freshman from Pincourt, Que.,  missed a glorious scoring opportunity in the 65th minute but hit the goal-post.  At the other end of the field, Sherbrooke defenders thwarted three splendid scoring situations by McGill along their goal-line.

 

"We missed some good chances but so did they," said Mounicot. "Their two strikers were also very dangerous and had a few good shots on net. However, despite losing a possible two points in the standings, we still control our destiny to finish among the top two spots in the standings, which has been our goal all along."

With six games remaining before playoffs, the division-leading Martlets are 6-0-2 with 22 goals for and a league-best defensive record of only three goals against. The Montreal Carabins are lurking just one point in arrears with a 6-1-1 record, followed by Laval (4-1-2), Sherbrooke (3-2-3), UQAM (3-4-1), Concordia (2-5-1), Bishop's (1-5-1) and cellar-dwelling UQTR (0-7-1).

 

McGill, which was missing six starters due to a variety of bumps and bruises, will enjoy a rare week off to lick their wounds and is scheduled to host Bishop's on Oct. 15. Sherbrooke has a similar break and returns to action the same day against Concordia.

 

 

SCORING SUMMARY

McGill 0, Sherbrooke 0

(at Stade de Sherbrooke)

 

First Half:

(no scoring)

 

Second Half:

(no scoring)

 

GOALTENDERS:

McGill: Valérie Labbé

Sherbrooke:  Marie-Michelle Coulombe

 

CARDS:

McGill: (none)

Sherbrooke: 2 yellows (Leconte and D. Pare)

 

FOULS:

McGill: 9

Sherbrooke: 15

 

SHOTS TOWARD NET:

McGill: (12 on net, 10 off net)

Sherbrooke: (8 on net, 10 off net)

 

CORNERS:

McGill: 1

Sherbrooke: 1

 

OFFSIDES:

McGill: 0

Sherbrooke: 4

 

CROSSES:

McGill: 13

Sherbrooke: 2

 

PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

McGill: Julia Bahen

Sherbrooke: Élyse Turcotte

 

McGILL'S STARTING LINEUP:

GK: Valérie Labbé

DEF: Julia Bahen

DEF: Kendra Bui

DEF: Christina Burrows

DEF: Jenna Holdham

MID: Maggie Keating

MID: Kelsey Wilson

MID: Alexandra Armstrong

MID: Meghan Bourque

MID: Laura Bland-Lasso

FOR: Alexandra Morin-Boucher

 

McGILL SUBSTITUTIONS:

MID: Claire Hooper replaced Burrows (55:00)

MID: Selena Colarossi replaced Armstrong  (55:00)

MID: Hannah Simmons replaced Bland-Lasso  (55:00)

 

DID NOT PLAY:

GK: Victoria Muccilli (dressed but DNP

DEF: Kathleen Wakeling (dressed but DNP)

MID: Ginger Jefferies (dressed but DNP)

FOR: Stephanie Avery (dressed but DNP)

DEF: Katherine Green (injd)

DEF: Carolyn Bell (injd)

DEF: Mélanie Desaulniers-Rioux

MID: Hannah Kirby

MID: Anna Smith

MID: Hannah Rivkin (personal leave)

FOR: Bianca Cordileone

 

 

Attendance: 100

 

SOURCE:

Earl Zukerman

Communications Officer

McGill Athletics & Recreation

earl.zukerman [at] mcgill.ca

514-398-7012