All good things must eventually come to an end, and the men’s soccer team found this fact out the hard way last weekend. On Saturday afternoon the Varsity Blues lost their first home game of the season to the Laurentian Voyaguers, who kept a very tight defence and played a midfield-centric game.
It was a spectacular first half, as both teams created fine chances but were unable to get goals. A few defensive lapses and the Blues found themselves two goals down in the second half, the latter score coming on a penalty kick.
The defeat, however, still leaves the Blues atop the Ontario University Athletics north division standings. York is a close second.
The first Blues scoring chance of the game came five minutes after kickoff. A dangerous looking left-side cross from Vancouver’s Josh Gordon flew past the forwards and unfortunately ended up in the hands of Voyaguers goalkeeper Ryan Bradley.
Four minutes later, the Voyaguers replied with a free kick that flew just inches past the left post of the Blues goal.
A miscommunication error around the 18th minute led to a collision between Blues goalie Luciano Lombardi and one of his defenders, and almost resulted in the first goal for the away team. Later, with only five minutes left in the half, Joe Jesseau (Bradford, ON) almost converted a through pass into a goal, but put the ball just wide of the Blues left post.
The second half started at a blistering tempo. A couple of misses and free kicks were recorded on both sides.
Defensive mistakes by the Blues resulted in a Laurentian goal just ten minutes into the second half. Another series of miscommunications around the net left Lombardi to fend for himself in the crease, and as he scrambled he helplessly watched a lob go over his head and into the net behind him. This goal put the Voyageurs up 1-0.
Both sides had some scoring chances in the second period, but most of the half was spent at midfield. This suited the Voyageurs, who were protecting a one-goal lead.
The game was put out of reach in the last five minutes. Laurentian’s Patrick Murphy (Sudbury, ON) converted a penalty kick into a goal to make it two-nil with only moments left on the clock.
The Blues will have to work more on coordinating their defence and play better at the front if they are to remain near the top in their division. Meanwhile, the Voyaguers remain in third place in the OUA north division after their win on Saturday.
