SEMIFINAL #1: 2009 CIS men’s soccer championship: Laval blanks TO, off to final for second time

By Trinity Western University sports information office

LANGLEY, B.C. (CIS) – The Laval Rouge et Or blanked the Toronto Varsity Blues 3-0 in the first semifinal of the CIS men’s soccer championship, Friday afternoon, to advance to the national final for the second time in team history.

The Rouge et Or, who beat UPEI 3-1 Thursday in the opening round of the tournament hosted by Trinity Western University, are looking for their first Sam Davidson memorial trophy. The Quebec City-based program was re-launched in 2000 after folding in the early 80s.

In the gold-medal game Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Pacific, Laval will face either QSSF rivals, the McGill Redmen, or the tournament host Spartans. In their lone previous appearance in the title match, in 2007, the Rouge et Or lost a 2-1 decision to the host UBC Thunderbirds in another final played in British Columbia, that time in Vancouver.

The Redmen, dropped 3-0 by Laval in last Sunday’s QSSF final, are the last Quebec team to hoist the Davidson trophy, having captured the third title in program history in 1997 following back-to-back titles in 1981 and 1982. Only three other QSSF squads have claimed the CIS banner since the inaugural CIS championship in 1970 including Sherbrooke in 1993, Concordia in 1976 and Loyola in 1973. Quebec rivals have never squared off in the gold-medal duel.

“We had a game plan to neutralize their strong points,” said Laval head coach Samir Ghrib, who was named CIS coach of the year on Wednesday night. “We knew we could exploit the larger field. We just controlled the ball very well and let things happen.”

Louis-Charles Laliberté, just before halftime, Samuel Georget, in the 65th minute of play, and David Chapdelaine Miller, in the 72nd minute, scored for Laval against the Varsity Blues, the OUA finalists who topped the final national coaches’ poll of the campaign a week ago.

Laliberté, a rookie forward from Lasalle, Que., opened the scoring with a header to the right side of the net off a ball chipped by defender Pascal Bragagnolo (Quebec City).

Twenty minutes into the second period, Georget, a midfieler from Segré, France, doubled the Laval lead, also with a header, following a corner kick brilliantly executed by freshman Kevin Courcelle (Mont St-Hilaire, Que.).

Chapdelaine Miller put the game out of reach barely five minutes after coming in to replace Laliberté. The fourth-year striker from Drummondville, Que., pushed a rebound into an empty net after keeper Maximir Luburic stopped all-Canadian Gabriel Moreau of St-Hyacinthe, Que., on a partial breakaway.

Rouge et Or keeper Vincent Cournoyer (St-Hyacinthe) made two saves to earn the shutout and his second win of the tourney.

Laval played over 50 minutes of 11-on-10 soccer after Blues starting netminder John Smits was ejected in the 38th minute.

Smits, who received a red card after he tripped an opponent on a breakaway, made one save before retreating to the locker room, while Luburic also blocked a lone ball and was credited with the loss.

Toronto will face the loser of the McGill – Trinity Western duel Sunday at 1 p.m. Pacific in the bronze-medal match.

Both the national final and the game for third place will be webcast live by SSN Canada (www.ssncanada.ca or www.cis-sic.ca).

NOTES: After a 1-2 start to the regular season, Laval goes into the CIS final on an 11-0-2 run, including its two wins at the championship… Should Laval win gold on Sunday, Ghrib would become the ninth coach in history to be named CIS coach of the year and lead his team to a Davidson trophy victory in the same season… Alberta’s Len Vickery was the last coach to accomplish the feat in 2006…

SCORING SUMMARY

LAV: 1-2:3
TOR: 0-0:0

First half
1. LAV, Louis-Charles Laliberté (1) (Pascal Bragagnolo), 45th

Second half
2. LAV, Samuel Georget (1) (Kevin Courcelle), 65th
3. LAV, David Chapdelaine Miller (1), 72nd

Goalkeepers:
LAV: Vincent Cournoyer (W, 0 GA, 2 saves, 90:00 mins)
TOR: John Smits (0 GA, 1 save, 37:40 mins), Maximir Luburic (L, 3 GA, 1 save, 52:20 mins)

Shots: LAV 10, TOR 4
Shots on net: LAV 5, TOR 2
Corners: LAV 10, TOR 5
Fouls: LAV 14, TOR 16
Yellow cards: LAV (C-A Pelletier, 86th), TOR (Darragh, McGee, 48th, Gabe Gala, 54th, Mario Nallira, 62nd)
Red cards: TOR (John Smits, 38th)

Players of the game:
UVIC: -
UPEI: -

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS (all times PACIFIC TIME)

Thursday, Nov. 12
Quarter-final 1: Laval 3, UPEI 1
Quarter-final 2: Toronto 2, Victoria 1
Quarter-final 3: McGill 1, McMaster 0 (10-9 PK)
Quarter-final 4: Trinity Western 2, Cape Breton 0

Friday, Nov. 13
Consolation 1: Victoria 6, UPEI 2
Consolation 2: Cape Breton 4, McMaster 1
Semifinal 1: Laval 3, Toronto 0
18:30 Semifinal 2: McGill vs. Trinity Western (SSN Canada webcast)

Saturday, Nov. 14
13:00 Consolation final (5th-place match): Victoria vs. Cape Breton

Sunday, Nov. 15
13:00 Bronze medal: Toronto vs. TBD (SSN Canada webcast)
15:30 Championship final: Laval vs. TBD (SSN Canada webcast)

- CIS -