TROIS-RIVIERES – Alexandra Hughes-Goyette of Squamish, B.C., scored her second game-winner over the weekend and Chloe Renaud netted her league-leading 12th marker as the McGill women's soccer team tripled UQTR 3-1 in the regular season finale, at the Centre CAPS on Sunday.
 
The result clinched second place for McGill (8-4-2) in the eight-team RSEQ conference, the program's highest finish since a second-place standing in 2010.
 
McGill will host third-place Laval (6-3-5) in a sudden-death RSEQ semifinal on Thursday (Oct. 24) in a 6 p.m. start at Percival Molson Stadium. The provincial rivals played to a 1-1 draw in Montreal on Sept. 15 and Laval took the rematch 4-1 against McGill's injury-plagued lineup in Quebec City on Oct. 6.
 
Against UQTR, the Martlets had a significant territorial advantage, leading 20-4 in attempted shots and a 16-3 margin on target.
 
Renaud opened the scoring in the 13th minute to become the first member of the Martlets to score a dozen goals since Eva Melamed had 16 in 10 games during the 2001 campaign. The team's single-season record was set by Julia Maughan in 1995, with 19 markers in 12 league contests.
 
UQTR knotted the score at 1-1 when Shanie Soulieres connected in the 21st minute. Hughes-Goyette countered with the winning tally in the 57th minute, assisted by Vanessa Kumar. Teammate Poppy Honeybone added an insurance marker in the 79th minute, converting a pass from Mara Bouchard.
 
Veteran goalkeeper Sophie Guillmette won for the second straight outing after missing the previous two contests with an unspecified injury. UQTR's Anne-Gabrielle-Marque made 12 saves in a losing cause.
 
The league's other semifinal will feature fourth-place Sherbrooke (6-4-4) visiting the pennant-winning Montreal Carabins (13-1-0) on Oct. 25. The two semifinal victors will cross paths in the league championship game, with the winner advancing to the U SPORTS championship in Halifax, Nov. 7-10. The Martlets are looking to qualify for Nationals for the first time since 2011.
 
BOXSCORE
 
RSEQ FINAL STATS & STANDINGS
 
SOURCE
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
CELL: 514-983-7012
E-MAIL:earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca