Redbirds Lacrosse vs Bishop’s University: W 11-7
Madigan McMahon
McGill lacrosse (6–2) returned to Percival Molson Stadium on Oct. 18 against Bishop’s University’s Gaiters (2–6) in their final home game of the season.
The first quarter started with midfielder Dylan James assisting midfielder Joshua Jewell’s goal in the second minute of play. Midfielder John Miraglia foiled Bishop’s attempts to pierce McGill’s defence as he intercepted the ball and passed it to James, allowing attacker Massimo Thauvette to score another goal. Bishop’s tied the score up by netting a goal from the doorstep and another goal with just under three minutes left in the quarter.
The second quarter opened with a couple of saves from goalie Joseph Boehm before he brought the ball up the field. The Gaiters intercepted the lobbed ball as they unsuccessfully attempted an open goal from the midfield line. Midfielder Louis-Antoine Habre brought the ball to midfielder Rowan Birrell, who scored a goal, and was quickly followed by Miraglia. The Gaiters scored three more goals, leaving McGill down 6-4 at the half.
The second half saw Bishop’s score three minutes in, while the Redbirds came back with a goal from midfielder Owen Howard making the score 7-5.
“When you’re down in that momentum, that first goal means everything,” head coach Nicolas Soubry said, crediting Howard.
James scored two minutes later before attacker Isaiah Cree netted another goal with 30 seconds left. With just 18 seconds left, midfielder Luke Dawick put the team in the lead 8-7.
“Once you get the chemistry to click, this team is just on fire. It’s really beautiful to watch,” James told //The Tribune// in a post-game interview. “I’d say the turning point was in the third quarter and then we got seven straight.”
Carrying on their momentum, the Redbirds won the face-off and attacker Mark Symon scored. Thauvette netted another goal and Birrell scored the last goal of the game, ending 11-7.
“We really battled back as a team, and it makes the coaching staff really proud,” Soubry expressed his final thoughts.
The Redbirds won against Ottawa (0–10) on Oct. 21, in one of their final two games in the regular season.
Moment of the game: Redbirds come back from a three-point disparity, scoring seven consecutive goals in the second half of the game.
Quotable:
“It was a rough start, but we really picked up the energy and the mentality in the second half. It was a real mental fight towards the end of the game and we won it in the second half.”
– Midfielder John Miraglia on key points from the game.
Stat Corner: McGill moved to third place in the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association regular season standings.
Redbirds Rugby vs Bishop’s University: W 25-15
Julie Ferreyra
On a misty Friday afternoon, the Redbirds’ rugby team (4–2) took the field against Bishop’s University’s Gaiters (3–3) in front of an enthusiastic homecoming crowd.
The Redbirds set the tone early in the afternoon, as inside centre Alexander Armstrong buried a try in the third minute. The first half saw significant efforts on both sides, as the Gaiters closed the gap with a successful penalty kick. After missing the first two penalty opportunities, outside centre Martin Laval successfully set a first penalty. The Gaiters quickly equalized with a converted try in the 32nd, bringing the scoreboard to 10-10 at half-time.
The second half saw increased intensity, with Laval successfully setting three more penalties amidst attempts to break through the Gaiters’ defence. As the Gaiters buried an unconverted try and a penalty, the pressure mounted on the Redbirds’ defensive line. The referees’ final whistle at the end of the additional time saw the Redbirds erupt in joy, celebrating their last win of the regular season.
“We went in today with a game plan in mind, we stuck to our game plan for the most part. […] We knew what we had to do to beat them and we went out there and did exactly what we had to,” Loosehead prop Nicholas Smith said in an interview with //The Tribune//.
The Redbirds clinched the third spot in the Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) standings and will face the University of Ottawa’s Gee Gees (4–2) in the semi-final on Oct. 27.
Quotable:
“ÉTS and Ottawa are the two squads that have beaten us, and they’re strong squads too [….] We’ll have to work on our planning and make sure we get how we want to play structurally sorted out; give ourselves the best opportunity.”
— Head Coach Ian Baillie, on the semi-final the team just secured a spot for.
Stat: This win constituted the sixth victory in a row against Bishop’s University, who last won this face-off in 2018.
Moment of the game: Right before halftime, after a kick, the ball went into the stands amongst the supporters. A child caught it and threw it back to the team on the field.
