UQAM downs McMaster in penalty kicks to advance at CIS men's soccer championship

TORONTO (CIS) – The third-seeded UQAM Citadins advanced to the semifinals at the 2015 CIS men's soccer championship after a 2-1 (4-3 kicks) victory over the sixth-ranked McMaster Marauders that was determined by kicks on Thursday afternoon at York University.

Valentin Lamoulie of Aix en Provence, France, who on Wednesday night was named the CIS rookie of the year, kept the game close, making crucial saves throughout the duration of the match, and in kicks made the game-winning save on McMaster's fifth shooter Sulayman Lyons of Hamilton to send the Citadins to the semifinal round on Saturday at 11 a.m. against either UNB or Victoria.

The Marauders will play in the first consolation semifinal on Friday at 11 a.m.

With the victory, UQAM was able to avenge last year's semifinal loss to the Marauders, which was also decided in kicks.

"It feels good to beat them after last year's result," said Felipe Costa de Souza, a midfielder from Montreal. "We came here to play to the end of the tournament and I'm happy we got through the first game."

The Marauders had complete control of the match in the first half as they applied constant pressure on the Citadins defensive core. The Marauders were the first to score as a corner kick was sent into the box and Gersi Xhuti of Etobicoke, Ont., rose up to head the ball into the back of the net in the 37th minute.

In the second half, UQAM benefitted from an own goal off McMaster defender Aleks Vincic of Stoney Creek, Ont., to level the score at 1-1.

The Citadins carried the momentum from the equalizer through the rest of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime, but chances were minimal as the two teams battled windy conditions and appeared hesitant to make a mistake that would cost them.

When penalty kicks began, the Citadins took an early lead in the second round after Marco Gennaccaro of Hamilton missed his shot. The rest of the shooters capitalized on their chances until the fifth round, when Lamoulie made a huge save to send his team to the semis.

McMaster head coach Dino Perri gave praise to the Citadins after the loss.

"We tried to find areas to expose them, they have a high-powered attack and we tried to hold them from their tendencies, and I thought we did a good job," said Perri. "I can't complain, they gave everything they had today and if we capitalized on four or five opportunities in the first half I think it would have been a totally different situation."

Third-year UQAM defender Maxime Leconte of Montreal was named the Citadins' player of the game, while Vincic received the award for McMaster.

SCORING SUMMARY:
UQAM 0-1-0-0: 1 (4-3 kicks)
MAC 1-0-0-0: 1

First Half
1. MAC Gersi Xhuti (1) 37th minute

Second Half
1. UQAM (own goal) 76th

Extra Time (2 x 15 mins - no golden goal)
(no scoring)

Kicks
MAC Angelo Cavalluzzo, goal
UQAM Imad Agday, goal
MAC Marco Gennaccaro, miss
UQAM Andre Bona, goal
MAC Yunus Mollayev, goal
UQAM Simon-Pierre Côté-Kougnima, goal
MAC Karl Bicamumpaka, goal
UQAM Kevin Le Nours, goal
MAC Sulayman, Lyons, saved

Goalkeepers:
UQAM: Valentin Lamoulie (W, 1 GA, 6 saves, 120:00, 1-0)
MAC: Angelo Cavalluzzo (L, 1 GA, 7 saves, 120:00, 0-1)

Team Stats
Shots: UQAM 16, MAC 10
Shots on net: UQAM 7, MAC 8
Corners: UQAM 3, MAC 6
Fouls: UQAM 15, MAC 8
Yellow cards: UQAM (Christian Ramierez, Mathieu Yala, Valentin Lamoulie), MAC (Kody Kazda, Yunus Mollayev)
Red cards: None

Players of the game:
UQAM: Maxime Leconte
MAC: Aleks Vincic

SCHEDULE & RESULTS

Thursday, Nov. 12
11:00 Quarter-final 1: UQAM 2, McMaster 1 (4-3 kicks)
13:30 Quarter-final 2: Victoria vs. UNB (CIS-SIC.tv)
16:00 Quarter-final 3: Toronto vs. UBC (CIS-SIC.tv)
19:00 Quarter-final 4: Cape Breton vs. York (CIS-SIC.tv)

Friday, Nov. 13
11:00 Consolation 1: McMaster vs. Loser QF 2 (CIS-SIC.tv)
13:30 Consolation 2: Loser QF 3 vs. Loser QF 4 (CIS-SIC.tv)

Saturday, Nov. 14
11:00 Semifinal 1: UQAM vs. Winner QF 2 (CIS-SIC.tv)
13:30 Semifinal 2: Winner QF 3 vs. Winner QF 4 (CIS-SIC.tv)
16:00 5th-place game (CIS-SIC.tv)

Sunday, Nov. 15
11:00 Bronze medal (CIS-SIC.tv)
14:00 Championship final (CIS-SIC.tv)

Source: CIS