CHARLOTTETOWN (CIS) – Goalkeeper Louis-Philippe Simard scored in added time and then saved three kicks in the shootout session to lead the Montreal Carabins to a thrilling 4-3 win over the Saskatchewan Huskies in the second consolation semifinal of the CIS men's soccer championship at UPEI Turf, Friday afternoon.
Even though it was played on the wrong side of the draw, it was a game Simard will never forget.
Not only did the second-half substitute stone three of five Huskies shooters in the sudden-death session, it was his dramatic equalizing goal - a header from a corner – that sent the contest to penalties and, ultimately, the Carabins to the match for fifth place Saturday at 11 a.m. AST against UNB.
To add to the drama, Simard's shoulder popped out while diving to save one of the PKs but after treatment he stayed in the game, recording one more save to give his team an unlikely victory.
The Huskies held a 1-0 lead at halftime following a fine finish by excellent left midfielder Bryce Marinus, but within minutes of the restart Montreal was level when substitute Vincent Perret scored with a first-time shot.
The Canada West conference champions must have thought they had the game won when Garrett Peters and Sam Whiting - with one of the best goals of the tournament - gave them a 3-1 advantage with 17 minutes left in regulation, but the fight back was on when Alan Torrent pulled one back for the RSEQ finalists with 10 minutes remaining.
The game was already into added time before Simard's dramatic equalizer, which set the stage for his even greater heroics in the shootout.
"It was crazy, unreal," said Simard. "When I scored I didn't know what to do, or where to run. It was amazing saving the penalties, but scoring such an important goal is something I will never forget."
SCORING SUMMARY:
MTL 0-3: 3 (3-2 PK)
SSK 1-2: 3
First Half
1. SSK Bryce Marinus (1), 3rd
Second Half
2. MTL Vincent Perret (1), 49th
3. SSK Garret Peters (1), 55th
4. SSK Sam Whiting (1) (Garret Peters), 73rd
5. MTL Alan Torrent (1), 80th
6. MTL Louis-Phillipe Simard (1) (Mircea Ilcu), 90th
Kicks
SSK Jordian Farahani, saved (Louis-Philippe Simard)
MTL Maxime Laurey, goal
SSK Luigi Bekwayo, goal
MTL Mircea Ilcu, goal
SSK Austin Boryski, saved (Louis-Philippe Simard)
MTL Vincent Perret, saved (Michal Bandula)
SSK Carson MacDonald, goal
MTL Fernando Herrera, goal
SSK David Brown, saved
Goalkeepers:
MTL: Samuel Dofort (1 GA, 4 saves, 45:00, 0-0)
MTL: Louis-Philippe Simard (W, 2 GA, 2 saves, 75:00, 1-0)
SSK: Michal Bandula (L, 3 GA, 7 saves, 120:00, 0-2)
Team Stats
Shots: MTL 14, SSK 18
Shots on net: MTL 10, SSK 9
Corners: MTL 4, SSK4
Offsides: MTL 7, SSK 3
Fouls: MTL 12, SSK 9
Yellow cards: MTL (Nicolas Matthieu-Fernandez, Maxime Laurey)
Red cards: None
Players of the game:
MTL: Louis-Philippe Simard
SSK: Bryce Marinus
