Ridgebacks battle McGill to penalties
OSHAWA, Ont. – The Ontario Tech men's soccer team made their U SPORTS Championship debut in front of a packed Vaso's Field and battled with the no. 5 seed McGill Redbirds to penalties.
Kairo Coore got the Ridgebacks U SPORTS Championship run started with an acrobatic finish that put the Ridgebacks up in the 11th minute of the game.
Yannick Laurent picked up the response goal for McGill in the 35th minute, assisted by Maher Fares.
In the second half, each team took turns finding opportunities to score, but it was McGill who sustained the offensive pressure, registering seven shots, with two big saves coming from Kevon Grant to keep the Ridgebacks afloat. Neither team could break through in overtime as the temperatures continued to drop.
During penalties, McGill converted on two straight from Nassim Kemel and Brahim Chami, while Coore and Alexander Irwin picked up two for the Ridgebacks. McGill would get another from Maher Fares, but Ontario Tech missed a chance to convert on three straight penalties, and despite the two clutch penalty saves from Grant, McGill would storm the field as victors.
With the win, the McGill Redbirds booked their trip to the semifinals for a match-up with the UBC Thunderbirds. On the other side of the bracket, the Montreal Carabins will be looking to take down the York Lions while the Ridgebacks move to the consolation bracket for a chance to play on Saturday.
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