Gee-Gees lose to McMaster at temporary home field
Maclaine Chadwick | Fulcrum Staff
Photos by Justin Labelle
THE FIRST HOME game of the 2012 football season was a bust. Hosting the nationally ranked first-place team, the McMaster University Marauders, the U of O Gee-Gees trekked to Beckwith Park along with their fans on Saturday.
It was immediately obvious that the Gees would struggle against the Marauders, who scored 23 points in the first quarter. The U of O’s Aaron Colbon ran a 25-yard touchdown at the start of the second, which gave the team a bit more momentum, but unfortunately other touchdown opportunities were intercepted by McMaster.
The Marauders’ multiple fumbles also turned into missed opportunities for the Garnet and Grey, but the Gees slowly narrowed the score gap with field goals.
Fifth-year kicker Matt Falvo scored three field goals and made U of O history by breaking the record for career field goals—his cumulative total of 59 breaking the previously held record of 57 by Ara Tchobanian, who played from 1990-1994.
“It’s nice,” said Falvo. “It will be something nice to look back at down the road, but I would rather have had a win today.”
Falvo is only 11 successful kicks away from breaking the Ontario University Athletics record set by University of Western Ontario kicker Frank Jagas in the early nineties.
Gee’s coach Gary Etcheverry admits that his team has a lot of work to do, but was pleased with the improvements they made in the game against McMaster.
“[They are a] championship-calibre opponent. I think we’ve come a long way mentally, and we’ve improved. But we don’t come here to have moral victories; we come here to win on the scoreboard. That’s disappointing, but I like the overall belief in ourselves,” said Etcheverry of his team.
Etcheverry’s unusual offensive formation, which employs only one receiver, Simon Le Marquand, has raised some eyebrows.
When asked about the adjustment to the new playing style, Le Marquand responded, “It’s not that hard, it’s just that we need to execute it properly. The details are all that matter right now … it’s simple, but we’ve got to make the plays.”
Nick Goodchild, a fourth-year kinesiology student and Gee-Gees fan, expressed his frustration over the team’s current 0-3 record.
“I think Etcheverry is really shitting the bed right now. I mean, you have all the same players and you still can’t win a game? That’s kind of depressing. I’d enjoy this more if we had a coach who knew what he was doing.”
Fan frustration was limited to the team’s performance, as students were pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere of Beckwith Park, which drew a crowd of 2,214 football fans.
Lisa Muehlgassner, a third-year U of O human kinetics student, said, “It’s great. I love how everyone actually came out … People are still partying through the rain, which is great.”
Sarah Dingman, a U of O graduate, will keep joining the crowds at Beckwith to support her alma mater.
“The stadium is full. Look at us, we’re sitting on the grass right now!”
The upcoming game is critical for the Gees, who need to win against the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks in order to have a chance at making the playoffs. The team will return to Beckwith Park to take on the Hawks Saturday, Sept. 22 at 1 p.m.
