On Thursday night, a confident McGill Redmen lacrosse team took to the field at Percival Molson Stadium for the first time this year, entering with momentum from a decisive 2-0 start to the regular season. The contest was played out in front of a vocal and raucous crowd as the Redmen (3-0) battled against the Concordia Stingers (0-3). McGill led throughout the contest, seemingly scoring at will and dominating all aspects of the game, resulting in a commanding 23-4 win.

Ryan Besse headed the attack with a quick goal just 61 seconds into the match. This goal was special however, as it lifted him into a tie for McGill’s all-time scoring total with 109 tallies. However, Besse did not stop there, scoring another  brilliant to lead off the second quarter, making him the most prolific scorer in Redmen history.

Although Besse’s accomplishment may have overshadowed the result, what really fueled the Redmen to victory was a balanced and constant attack. In the end, an impressive 16 players filled the scoresheet, and freshman Benjamin Follows recorded a hat trick.

Head Coach Tim Murdoch was pleased with his team’s performance and thought the result allowed more of the roster to receive playing time.

“We executed our game plan to set up a slow-paced game that allowed us to run through our offensive sets.  Our nine-goal output in the first quarter resulted from patience and good shot selection,” Murdoch said. “We had the game under control with a 12-0 halftime lead, so this was an opportunity to play our entire roster.”

In addition to Follows’s hat trick, Besse, Rhys Burnell, Richard Klares, Antoine Champagne, and captain Jishan Sharples each scored two goals.

Right from the onset, McGill seemed to control the pace of the game, using patience and precision in their passing. In effect, Concordia’s offence was non-existent throughout the first two quarters, and its defence appeared disjointed and clumsy. This defence, or lack thereof, allowed McGill to take advantage of costly turnovers and finish the half on top, 12-0.

Concordia seemed to come out of halftime having made some adjustments, but their improved play may also have been aided by McGill’s decision to rest its starters. Whatever the reason, the Stingers retaliated with two consecutive goals, midway through the third quarter. This run, however, did not last long. McGill’s Brandon McLean struck just over a minute later, and by the end of the frame any Concordia momentum was lost. The fourth quarter began just as the others did, with McGill forcing its attack amidst a spirited background of home-field chants.

Ultimately, the game ended the  way it began, with the Redmen continuing to run clean and patient plays, and the Stingers’ valiantly trying to keep the onslaught at bay. On the other side of the ball, McGill excelled as well, working together and rotating to cut off Concordia’s plays.

“We did well [on defence], although we allowed Concordia to score a few goals on man-down scenarios in the second half,” Murdoch noted. “Concordia is a new team that has recently entered our league, so we were able to minimize their possessions and rack up a steady stream of goals.”

With the win, the Redmen improve to 3-0 on the season and sit atop the Eastern CUFLA standings. Based on their early play, a return to the postseason seems quite likely, especially after this statement win.

The Redmen are back in action at Molson Stadium on Sept. 22, when they play host to the visiting Queen’s Gaels.