The Tribune

After a disappointing Saturday, the McGill Martlets were certainly not lacking in motivation for their clash with Concordia on Sunday. A draw against Laval denied McGill its bid for a perfect season and the cross-town rivals were the prefect targets on which to vent.

To say the Redmen were slumping heading into this weekend’s contest with Mount Allison University would be a gross understatement. Going into Saturday’s clash with the Mounties, McGill hadn’t tasted victory since Sept. 24, 2005, a whole 364 days earlier. Despite rainy conditions at Molson Stadium, quarterback Matt Connell led the charge, tossing five touchdown passes in front of just 1,441 fans, defeating Mt.

On Saturday, Sept. 29, the McCord Museum will be hosting the “Sports and Diversity Symposium: Marking the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s breakthrough in sports,” a vital conference on sports and diversity in Canada. Presented by the Association of Canadian Studies (ACS), the goal of this one day event is to raise awareness of the evolving face of Canadian sports and to highlight the impact that sports has on the diverse ethnicities and minorities in Canada.

Martlets Soccer-McGill vs. Sherbrooke; Friday, 6p.m. The Quebec champion Martlets open the season in the friendly confines of Molson Stadium against Sherbrooke. In what should be a challenging game against an always fiesty Vert et Or side, McGill will have the chance to show the home fans why they are a top contender for the ultimate prize at the end of the season-the National Championship.

Martlets chalk up another win McGill’s rugby women got the regular season off on the right foot on Sunday, crushing Bishop’s 55-0. Centre Laura Belvedere led the team with four tries, while prop Valerie Evans and fullback Julianne Zussman each scoring twice.

While very few university students can say that they are on their country’s national rowing team, even fewer can say that they have won a medal at the World Rowing Championships. However, Derek O’Farrell can lay claim to both. Over the summer, the U4 physiology student finished third in the Men’s Coxed Pair at the under-23 World Rowing Championship in Eton, UK, becoming the first McGill rower to ever reach the podium at a World Championship.

A year off may have cured many of the ills that plagued McGill’s football program last season, but not quite all of them. Last year, the team’s Achilles heel was an inability to stop the running game and, judging by their performance on Saturday against Bishop’s, not much has changed.

Aside from its claims of Canadian superiority, McGill loves to boast about its international flavour. It is a magnet for many foreign students who wish to study in the West, or more specifically, in Canada. However, the international character has typically been confined to the lecture halls and seldom seen on the soccer pitch.