VICTORIA - The McGill Redmen held on to a 1-0 first-half lead to defeat the Toronto Varsity Blues in the first consolation semifinal of the 2011 CIS men's soccer championships on Nov. 11 at the University of Victoria.
 
Redmen fullback Taren Roughead of Coquitlam, B.C., ended the first-half frustration for McGill in the 41st minute, capping a long sequence of pressure by heading in a well-serviced corner kick from Jeremy Hurdle of Victoria, playing in his hometown. The Redmen (1-1) now advance to the fifth-place game tomorrow, Nov. 12, at 2:30 p.m. PST, while the Varsity Blues (0-2) see their CIS national tournament come to a close.
 
Baltimore-native George Banks led the McGill attack early in the game, but his offside goal in the second minute was disallowed. Only five minutes later, Capolungo curled a ball across the goalmouth, testing Blues keeper Russell Moore of Plainfield, N.H. Capolungo and Banks continued to create havoc for the Toronto defence throughout the game.

Blues captain Geoffrey Borgmann, of Mississauga, Ont., was the key player in the midfield for Toronto. He fed speedy Blues and Woodbridge, Ont., natives Ryan Sciacchitano and Mario Kovacevic on a few close attempts but Redmen keeper and first-year Charles Kelly of Gloucester, Ma., had little trouble with the resulting attacks produced.

Throughout the first half, McGill continued to dominate in possession with Alexander King of Detroit and Banks combining well with Capulungo for several promising attempts, few of which landed on target. In the 33rd minute, King had McGill's best chance but Moore stopped the shot.

Toronto's best opportunity happened a minute later when Sciacchitano serviced a free kick perfectly in the box but striker Veljko Lukovic of Belgrade, Serbia, was unable to connect.

Tides seemed to turn briefly as the Blues' centre midfielder Borgmann was hauled down at the edge of the box. The ensuing free kick was blocked and Neil D'Silva of Mississauga, Ont., followed up rolled just wide of the goalmouth.
   
Looking for the equalizer, Borgmann made his appearance known first setting up Kovacevic in the 49th, his shot going high, and a minute later, challenging McGill's keeper Kelly one-on-one but was unable to produce.

In the 61st minute, Hurdle's free kick just inside Toronto's half floated justwide. Minutes later, Toronto striker Kovacevic tested the McGill back line with back-to-back attempts but Kelly was more than up to the task. Late substitute and Jamaica-native Jermaine Burrell was an effective target up front for the Blues but McGill veterans Louis Fouquet of Sherbrooke, Que., and Graeme Tingey of Vancouver both calmly managed his presence.
 
The final minutes of the game were physical, and both teams struggled to find the back of net, committing several fouls in desperation to score.

Roughead's late first-half goal prevailed and the Redmen will now move on to play in the fifth-place game tomorrow, Nov. 12, against the winner of the McMaster and Montreal game.

Scoring Summary: McGill 1 Toronto 0
MCG 1-0: 1
TOR 0-0: 0

First half
1. MCG Taren Roughead (1) (Jeremy Hurdle), 41st

Second half
No goals

Goalkeepers:
MCG: Charles Kelly (W, 0 GA, SO, 4 saves, 90:00, 1-1)
TOR: Russell Moore (L, 1 GA, 8 saves, 90:00, 0-1)

Shots: MCG 20, TOR 11
Shots on net: MCG 9, TOR 4
Corners: MCG 4, TOR 3
Offsides: MCG 1, TOR 2
Fouls: MCG 14, TOR 14
Yellow cards: MCG (George Banks 30th, Thomas Lucas 35th), TOR (Neil D'Silva82nd)
Red cards: none
Players of the game:
MCG: Graeme Tingey – Team Sales Player of the Game
TOR: Russell Moore – Gatorade Player of the Game

SCHEDULE & RESULTS (All times local: PACIFIC TIME)

Official championship website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/msoc/index

Thursday, Nov. 10
11:00 Quarter-final 1: Saint Mary’s 2 McGill 1
13:30 Quarter-final 2: Alberta 2 Toronto 1
16:30 Quarter-final 3: Cape Breton 2 McMaster 1 (ET)
19:00 Quarter-final 4: Victoria 3 Montreal 2 (4-2 K)

Friday, Nov. 11
11:00 Consolation 1: McGill 1 Toronto 0
13:30 Consolation 2: McMaster 2 Montreal 1 (5-4 K)
16:30 Semifinal 1: Saint Mary’s vs. Alberta (SSN Canada webcast)
19:00 Semifinal 2: Cape Breton vs. Victoria (SSN Canada webcast)
Saturday, Nov. 12
14:30 5th-place game: McGill vs McMaster (SSN Canada webcast)

Sunday, Nov. 13
11:30 Bronze medal (SSN Canada webcast)
14:00 Championship final (SSN Canadawebcast)