Gordon Lee / CIS

Gordon Lee / CIS

The McGill Redmen were looking to build on their RSEQ success this past weekend in Victoria, B.C. as they battled for the CIS National Championship. The Redmen opened their championship bid in a quarterfinal match against the Saint Mary’s Huskies on Thursday. However, disappointment filled the players following the game, as the Redmen were defeated by a score of 2-1. 

The Redmen put together a fantastic season, culminating in their second CIS championship appearance in the past three years. Their last appearance, in 2009, was a major success, as they earned the silver medal in the tournament. While McGill had high expectations for this year’s run as well, they were outmatched by the Huskies, who built an early two-goal lead and never let up. 

There were positives, however, and Head Coach David Simon was proud of his team’s effort.

“The team played rather well … Having said that, we gave up two goals on significant defensive mistakes. At that level, you cannot win games with defensive lapses,” Simon said.

The Huskies opened the scoring in the 15th minute, as striker Elvir Gigolaj beat Redmen goalkeeper Charles Kelly to the ball and headed it into the empty net. The McGill defence tightened from that point on for the rest of the first half. McGill’s own offence had a few chances, most notably in the 40th minute when an offside call wiped away a Redmen goal by Alexander Damianou. 

The two teams came out with more energy and urgency in the second half. The Huskies extended their lead to two in the 64th minute when midfielder Derek Gaudet crossed a beautiful ball to Ian Coke, who finished it with a header past Kelly. Gaudet sparkled all game for Saint Mary’s, creating scoring chances and controlling the middle of the field. He would be named player of the match. 

McGill showed resiliency, cutting the lead back to one just four minutes later, when a Saint Mary’s defender failed to clear a crossing ball in the box, which left forward Sebastian Munroe open in front to strike it right past Huskies goalkeeper Adam Miller. The Redmen continued to press in the last 20 minutes of action, led by substitute forward Alexander King, who was named man of the match for McGill.  Despite generating a couple of quality scoring chances, it was to no avail. The Huskies’ back end held strong and preserved the victory. 

It was a tough loss for the Redmen, and is especially troubling for those mainstays from that finalist team, such as fifth-year captain Thomas Lucas.

“Guys who had experienced the final two years ago wanted to have another go at it … They were very disappointed but unlike some of their predecessors, they had a chance to go to nationals [twice]. They will be missed,” Simon said. 

With the loss, the Redmen were relegated to the consolation bracket. There, they had more success, beating both the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, and then the McMaster Marauders in the consolation finals to claim a fifth-place finish. The result clearly proves that the Redmen are just a notch behind Canada’s best. Striker George Banks shone in the consolation final, tallying two goals for McGill.

Despite the disappointing finish by the Redmen, it makes the players and coaching staff that much more hungry to improve and build on this championship appearance. Despite a few key departures, the roster expects to feature many returning players, who will all grow with the experience.