Marauder Sports Roundup: October 9
Everybody has a preference. Tea or coffee, Ford or Chevy, Pac or Biggie, and so on and so forth. These are the great debates that have furrowed the brows of many great thinkers...or mine, at least. With all those choices, it’s not often that everybody gets what they want. But when it comes to picking a favourite type of football, this week you, dear reader, get it all.
Whether it was the British or American kind; whether against populous U of T or small Algoma U; whether they were wearing shoulder pads or shin guards; if it was football, we saw it happen this week. And even better, I cut it down into little appy-sized paragraphs just for you. So, kick back and enjoy a few minutes’ light updates without the burden of choice weighing you down. Bon appétit!
Football Comes Out on Top in Toronto
In the closest McMaster v Toronto football game since 2011, defence reigned supreme. Both defences played well, but Mac was able to keep an edge on U of T to win 16-8. The Marauder defence was crucial to the win, suffocating the Toronto passing offence that had been so prolific under OUA yards and touchdowns leader Quarterback Clay Sequeira. Sequeira was held to 189 yards and no scores on the afternoon, well short of the 358 yards and 3 touchdowns he averages for the season. Noah Hallett added an interception and 9 tackles. Combined with a 5 sack, 5 TFL effort from the front 7, this made Toronto’s offence look sluggish. This is the fourth time this year that they have held their opponent without an offensive score; it’s been a string of dominant defensive performances by Mac. McMaster’s offense was not at its best on Saturday, but they overcame some mistakes and frustrations to put together a solid performance. Quarterback Andreas Dueck had 290 yards and a touchdown, despite two interceptions on the day. Runningback Tavian Shand filled in for Jordan Lyons, who was absent from the team this week, to form the two-headed rushing attack with Justice Allin. Kicker Adam Preocanin was instrumental in the win, going 3 for 3 on field goals, which made the difference for the Marauders.
Loaded Week of Soccer Produces Mixed Bag
Both soccer teams had a busy week. They played York on Wednesday, then had back to back days vs Algoma on the weekend, so put on your cleats and get in the net - there's a lot of soccer coming at you.
The women opened the week with a tough 0-1 loss vs York. It was a close one throughout, with neither team able to control the game. Unfortunately, York slipped one past the Marauder keeper in the 89th minute to break our little maroon hearts. In happier news, their Algoma games were fantastic. Mac only allowed 3 shots total and Algoma never so much as sniffed the net. On Sunday, the only difference was that Algoma managed a goal. Outside of that, McMaster shut them down again. As with Saturday’s game, Mac put up 3 goals and walked away with a win. We're now sitting at 4th in the OUA Western division.
The men’s team had the same schedule, but with more mixed results, starting Wednesday with a tight game against York. Unlike the women’s team, though, they managed to escape with a 0-0 tie. On Saturday, they broke the stalemate with a spectacular 8-0 slapdown against Algoma. Seven different Marauders put a goal away, while on the other side, Algoma couldn’t get a shot off the whole game. The nagging penalty issues that have been the bogeyman under the team’s bed began to rear its head at the end of the game. Mac committed two totally unnecessary yellow cards in the 77th and 90th minutes. In the second game, the bogeyman got loose. Mac committed 4 yellow cards, which really hurt them. Combine that with swiss cheese goalkeeping that allowed two goals on just three Algoma shots, and the Mac team just couldn’t get out of their own way, sadly losing 2-1.
Duncan Simmons is the CFMU Sports Director and a 3rd year communications studies student from Vancouver, BC. He is the author of the Marauder Sports Roundup, released weekly on Wednesdays. Lover of all sports and all sports fans. Contact him at: cfmusport@msu.mcmaster.ca.