Laval defeats McGill, wins first ever CIS men's soccer title

Louis-Charles Laliberte capped a quick three-goal explosion with the game-winner as the Laval Rouge et Or rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat McGill 3-2 Sunday and capture their first Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's soccer title.

In the dying moments of first-half injury time, Laliberte put Laval ahead 3-2 with a long free kick. He lobbed a high shot that arced over Redmen goalkeeper Jean-Lou Gosselin and into the top left corner.

"I've been practising that play all season long and scored one like that in our league semifinal game against UQAM," said the native of LaSalle, Que. "If you hit it right, the ball moves in the wind and that makes it hard for the goalkeeper to make the stop."

It marked the first duel between two Quebec-based teams in a CIS final in any sport.

Earlier Sunday, the Trinity Western Spartans beat the Toronto Varsity Blues 2-1 (4-2 in penalty kicks) to take the bronze medal.

McGill, which had lost 3-0 to Laval in the Quebec conference final last week, dominated the first half and jumped into an early 2-0 lead on goals by third-year defender Graeme Tingey of North Vancouver, B.C., and Ottawa's Gareth Pugh.

Laval roared back with three goals in the final four minutes of the half and held on for the victory in the pouring rain.

"To score three times in the last (few) minutes of the half in a championship game is something that I've never seen before," said Laval coach Samir Ghrib, named earlier in the week as the CIS coach of the year. "We were prepared for the scenario of having to come from behind. This is the story of our season. We fight until the (game) is over."

The Redmen were charged with an own goal when Laliberte appeared to take a harmless chip shot that bounced off a McGill player and past Gosselin in the 43rd minute to narrow the gap to 2-1.

"I managed to get between the two defenders and just chipped it (off a player)," said Laliberte.

Less than two minutes later, CIS tournament MVP and second-team all-Canadian Gabriel Moreau of St. Hyacinthe, Que., pounced on a loose ball in the box and fired it past Gosselin to even the score at 2-2. It was Moreau's third goal of the tournament.

Laliberte followed with his winning goal.

"This hurts right now but when we look back on the season in a few weeks time, a silver medal finish is pretty good for a team that wasn't expected to be here," said first-year McGill head coach David Simon. "We exceeded all expectations and I'm proud of what we accomplished this season."

In the bronze-medal game, Trinity Western goalkeeper Andrew Kowan made a diving penalty kick save and defender Cardin Davis from scored the penalty winner as the Spartans beat Toronto.

The Spartans outscored Toronto 4-2 in penalty kicks for their fourth CIS championship medal in the last five years. TWU also won bronze in 2005 and silver in 2008 and 2006.

"There wasn't an issue of motivation when you get to a match like this," said TWU head coach Pat Rohla. "For the four months that we have been together over a month of that has been with the boots on practising so there is no point in getting to a match like this and dropping short."

Nathan Pogue of Seaside, Ore., opened the scoring in the 63rd minute for the Spartans.

Alexander Raphael replied in the 80th minute for the Varsity Blues.