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Objective: to end on a good note

SOCCER. The contrast is striking. While the Cégep de Drummondville baseball team savored another championship, the Voltigeurs football team suffered a seventh defeat in as many outings on Saturday night at L’Assomption.

Playing a penultimate game this season, the troop of head coach Philippe Leduc admitted defeat 34-14 in front of the Triades of the Cégep régional de Lanaudière (6-1). Trailing 20-0 after the first half, the Voltigeurs stood up to the leaders of the third division standings in the second half of the game.

“It’s a game where a lot of players were starting for the first time. The guys were combative even though defensively we missed a few assignments. On the offensive, we didn’t always move the ball well, but we saw some encouraging things in the second half. We made a few tackles for losses as well as a few quarterback sacks, ”said Philippe Leduc, taking care to congratulate the Voltigeurs baseball program for its achievement.

Charles Foisy. (Photo d’archives, Ghyslain Bergeron)

In the loss, quarterback Charles Foisy threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Kelvin Talbot. At the end of the match, Léo Simard blocked a kick, allowing Lilian Bouret-Vizioz-Fortin to recover a ball in the end zone. Due to the many injuries, the Voltigeurs had to deal with a roster of barely forty players.

In the eyes of Philippe Leduc, the team’s current record (0-7) does not reflect the real level of competition of its troops. On average, the Voltigeurs scored half as many points per game (19) than their opponents (38) in 2021.

“I don’t like to talk about luck, but the ball hasn’t always rolled for us this season. A good result would have been good for our morale, but we prefer to focus on the process. We are on the right track. With the exception of two games, we have always competed against our opponents this season, ”he said.

It is for this reason that the coaching staff of the Voltigeurs no longer emphasizes the victory itself.

“Every time we thought we were going to get our first victory this season, we stopped playing at our level. It happened at the end of the game against Ahuntsic and against Shawinigan. We stopped focusing on our own game. ”

Since 2018, the Drummondville program has only signed one win in 23 attempts.

A matter of pride

The Voltigeurs will complete their regular season by welcoming the Champlain College Cavaliers from Saint-Lambert (4-3), Saturday afternoon, to the Marchand sports complex. The game will start at 1 p.m.

Olivier Racette. (Photo d’archives, Ghyslain Bergeron)

“Their offensive is very aerial. They’re betting on a third-year quarterback who is able to buy time before throwing the ball. Our defense will have to be ready to put pressure on him, ”said Philippe Leduc, who also wants to see his attack find its rhythm.

“We want to end the season on a good note, but the only thing we can control is our preparation. If we focus on winning each game, we can hope that the result will be there at the end of the game, ”added the football man.

It will be the last match in the collegiate ranks for 11 veterans of the Voltigeurs, namely Ayllen Barrios-Calvé, Samuel Denis, Mika Lachapelle, Charles-Antoine Leclerc, Louka Parent, Olivier Racette, Jessy Schnobb, Mehdy Benamara, Lilian Bouret-Vizioz-Fortin, Marc-Olivier Côté and Thomas Rivard.

“We want to play this game for our veterans. The last few years have not been very stable, but they have spared no effort to help the program regain its nobility, ”concluded Philippe Leduc.

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