The 2012 soccer season ended tragically for the Martlets on Friday night, as they lost on penalty kicks to the Sherbrooke Vert-et-Or in the RSEQ semifinals.

McGill’s Hannah Rivkin put the Martlets ahead 1-0 in the 34th minute, before Sherbrooke’s Marie-Eve Jacques tied the game just before the halftime whistle.

Following an uneventful second half and two 15 minute overtime periods, the game headed to penalty kicks—where Sherbrooke ultimately prevailed 5-3.

Head Coach Marc Mounicot weighed in on many aspects of Martlets’ season, including the difficult penalty kick loss (PK) on Friday.

“It’s always difficult to lose on PKs because you have no real control, and a lot of it is just about emotions [rather than] execution. We prepared well for them, have won many times on PKs in recent years, and we were confident and ready for them,” Mounicot said.

Julia Bahen, a graduating midfielder, played her last outdoor game for the Martlets in the loss. She seconded Mounicot’s disappointment, but lauded the overall focus.

“Penalty kicks are such a difficult way to decide a game. [But] I think we can take pride in the fact we stayed concentrated for the entire game, including the 30 minutes of extra time, and prevented Sherbrooke from scoring any further goals.”

What made the loss even more distressing was that just moments prior to the lone Vert-et-Or goal, Sherbrooke forward Chloé Belhumeur-Limoges blasted a shot at Martlet keeper Victoria Muccilli, sending her out of the game as she exhibited concussion-like symptoms. In a controversial decision, the referee reached only for a yellow card against the offending player, rather than a red. This decision helped pave the way for the Sherbrooke victory. Belhumeur-Limoges potted the final tally for Sherbrooke during the penalty kicks.

McGill missed Muccilli in the penalty kicks, as she excels in this area.

“The worst is that we had to play without Muccilli after 45 minutes. [Substitute Aidan] Mahoney did great and had a few key saves, but Muccilli is a great keeper on PKs, and has won a few games over her first three years with us in those special conditions,” Mounicot said.

Despite the semifinal loss, Coach Mounicot was quick to point out that the campaign was still a strong one for the Martlets, full of many impressive feats.

“Our season started very well. We were undefeated so long and we dominated all teams we faced all season, outshooting the opposition in every single game,” Mounicot said. “We scored more goals than the last three seasons and had the best defence in our conference.”

In the end, a few crucial injuries and an inability to finish hurt the Martlets during the season.

“The low point, which cost us first place, was the two negative results back-to-back versus Concordia. [Here again] we had to play without Muccilli and [Zoe] Fasoulakis for a while. We were not sharp enough in our finishing. Some girls worked hard, but needed to be more composed in front of the net in important situations,” Mounicot said. “After the fourth game, we never had everyone healthy. Even if we have good depth, as a coach, you are looking to start the same team most or your games.”

The Martlets’ future is quite promising, as they fielded a young team all season. Only two players, Bahen and Alexandra Armstrong, are expected to graduate. This youth provides an exciting core for upcoming campaigns.

“The team is young, and some have a nice future,” Mounicot said. “Fasoulakis was strong all season. [Rookie Julia] Conzon was a playing a position she never played before and did great. [Captain Bahar] Sansar … is a natural leader and a great player. [Hannah] Rivkin and [Meghan] Bourque were excellent as midfielders. Then you have [Kelsey] Wilson, who never played at her full potential coming back from surgery, and [Alexandria] Hoyte, 2011 CIS rookie of the year. All of whom will be back next season.”

Coach Mounicot concluded by praising the graduating girls and their contributions to the team.

“They have grown as better players and nice women, supporting the young ones and being role models. They have been great in the locker room and it was a pleasure to coach them for four years and to see them become such great individuals.”

Bahen was sentimental about her time as a Martlet.

“Being a Martlet has meant a lot to me. I’ve had a family away from home since first year. …I think women’s soccer is a very strong program at McGill and a lot can be expected from this team in the future. With so many young players, there is a lot of potential and room to grow as the team progresses together.”