Despite four touchdowns from inside receiver Liam Mahoney, the Concordia Stingers lost 39-36 in double overtime to the Sherbrooke Vert & Or on Saturday afternoon in Sherbrooke.
Mahoney finished the day with 13 receptions for 148 yards and three majors. He also carried the football four times for 14 yards and a touchdown.
The Stingers’ offence sputtered through the first 45 minutes of the Quebec University Football League matchup that saw Concordia trail Sherbrooke 18-4 after three quarters. But the attack came to life in the final frame.
Three minutes in, Mahoney caught an 11-yard TD pass from quarterback Terrance Morsink. With 8:22 left to play, the Vert & Or pulled ahead 26-11. Morsink hit Mahoney with a 14-yard touchdown strike with 2:37 left in regulation time to make the score 26-18.
The duo combined again on a 28-yard play for another touchdown with 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Morsink found Arian Francois for the two-point convert, tying the game at 26-26.
In the first overtime series, Sherbrooke scored a touchdown to pull ahead 33-26. The Stingers and Mahoney answered back, with the fourth-year man running the ball in from one yard out.
In the second series, Rene Paredes connected on a 33-yard field goal to give Concordia a 36-33 lead. But the Vert & Or replied, scoring the winning points on a 10-yard touchdown run.
At the end of the day, Concordia rolled up 553 yards of offence and 31 first downs. Sherbrooke had 479 yards of offence and 22 first downs.
Morsink completed 39 of 59 passes for 451 yards, three TDs and two interceptions. His favorite target was Mahoney, but he also looked to rookie Kris Bastien who hauled in 14 passes for 100 yards.
Defensively, linebacker Alex Lemire was the Stingers’ top tackler with eight solos and an assist. Cornerback Nathan Taylor had seven solo tackles and an assist.
Concordia’s win-loss record falls to 3-4. The Stingers will play the 5-2 Montreal Carabins on Friday night at Université de Montréal.
