Top-ranked Carabins blitz soccer Martlets

By: Earl Zukerman

Derek Drummond

McGill goalkeeper Sarah Dubois saves a penalty kick off Carabins midfielder Leila Boudjelal

Women's Soccer | 8/31/2018 9:25:00 PM

MONTREAL -- Emmanuelle Alcindor registered a hat-trick and added an assist as the No.1 ranked Montreal Carabins scored five first-half goals and cruised to a 5-0 road victory over McGill in RSEQ women's soccer at Percival Molson Stadium, Friday.

The Carabins, the defending national champs who ended McGill's season last year in a semifinal that was decided in overtime, had a lopsided 14-2 advantage in shots on goal. They have now won three straight over McGill since a 0-0 draw on Sept. 15, 2017.

"As a team, we didn't come out ready to start against a championship team like that," said McGill head coach Jose-Luis Valdes. "We can't afford to start poorly against a team of that calibre. Our decision-making was not fast enough and our passing was too slow and not accurate enough. As soon as they intercepted our passes, they were very efficient in taking advantage of the turnovers, almost immediately.

Carabins goalkeeper Claudia Dubé-Trempe, a native of Greenfield Park, Que., who transferred from the University of Maine, registered two saves for the shutout while McGill 'keeper Sarah Dubois, a fifth-year senior from Edmonton, made nine saves in a losing cause, including one on a penalty shot by sniper Leila Boudjelal with the Carabins leading by five.

Alcindor a senior from Montreal, whose younger brother Jeremie plays for the McGill Redmen, struck paydirt in the first minute of play, then made it 3-0 just three minutes later. She completed the hat-trick in the 19th minute as the Carabins took a commanding 4-0 lead.

Rounding out the scoring was Megane Sauve, who put UdeM ahead 2-0 in the 17th minute and Marie-Eve Bernard, who made it 5-0 in the 25th minute.

McGill (1-1-0) plays next at UQAM on Sept. 7 at 6 p.m., while the Carabins (1-0-1) will host Bishop's on the same soiree.

"Rest assured that we're going to work hard to correct our approach to starting a game, both mentally and physically," added Valdes. "We will do some serious video analysis over the next two days to ensure that we are ready from the start in our next game."

MARTLET MURMURS: McGill was playing without five key players who were injured in the preseason, including defender Sarah-Maude Bouchard-Canuel, along with midfielders Sophie Barlos, Laurelie Boucher-Gould and Olivier Trotter and freshman goalkeeper Annabelle Matysiak, a member of the Polish national team... Forward Arianne Ducharme, a sophomore starter who was playing hurt, was also removed in the 20th minute.