{"id":936408,"date":"2026-10-17T12:22:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T12:22:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/936408\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T12:22:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T12:22:34","slug":"redbirds-punch-playoff-ticket-as-ciociola-shuts-the-door-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/936408\/","title":{"rendered":"Redbirds punch playoff ticket as Ciociola shuts the door&#8230; again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>                    &#13;<br \/>\n                        &#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<\/p>\n<p>                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Sherbrooke-Vert--Or.png\" alt=\"Sherbrooke\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                Next Game:<\/p>\n<p> Sherbrooke<\/p>\n<p>10\/18\/2026 | 1 pm<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n                    Oct. 18 (Sun) \/ 1 pm&#13;\n                <\/p>\n<p>                    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sidearm-story-template-next-game-opponent-logo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Sherbrooke-Vert--Or.png\" alt=\"Sherbrooke\"\/><\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n                        \u00a0Sherbrooke&#13;\n                    <\/p>\n<p>                    <a class=\"sidearm-story-template-next-game-details-history\" href=\"https:\/\/mcgillathletics.ca\/sports\/mens-soccer\/opponent-history\/sherbrooke\/47\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">History <\/a><\/p>\n<p>                             &#13;<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"> (VERSION FRAN\u00c7AISE SUIT)<\/p>\n<p>MONTREAL \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/mcgillathletics.ca\/sports\/mens-soccer\/roster\/nicholas-minchillo\/15071\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"15071\" target=\"_blank\">Nicholas Minchillo<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/mcgillathletics.ca\/sports\/mens-soccer\/roster\/lefika-noko\/15032\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"15032\" target=\"_blank\">Lefika Noko<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/mcgillathletics.ca\/sports\/mens-soccer\/roster\/luca-capraro\/15064\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"15064\" target=\"_blank\">Luca Capraro<\/a> scored as the McGill Redbirds blanked the UQAM Citadins 3-0 in RSEQ men&#8217;s soccer action Friday at Stade H\u00e9bert, clinching a playoff berth and extending their undefeated streak to seven games.<\/p>\n<p>Goalkeeper <a href=\"https:\/\/mcgillathletics.ca\/sports\/mens-soccer\/roster\/ludovyck-ciociola\/15024\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"15024\" target=\"_blank\">Ludovyck Ciociola<\/a> made four saves for his fourth consecutive shutout and sixth clean sheet of the season, matching McGill&#8217;s highest total in 18 years. The last time the Redbirds recorded six shutouts was in 2008, when they finished second in the Quebec conference with a 7-1-4 record.<\/p>\n<p>The victory improved McGill&#8217;s record to 6-2-1, doubling its win total from last season. After opening the campaign with two consecutive losses, the Redbirds have rattled off a 6-0-1 record over their last seven games. Their six victories are the program&#8217;s highest single-season total since 2011, when McGill finished second with a 7-3-2 record.<\/p>\n<p>The result also completed McGill&#8217;s first regular-season sweep of UQAM since 2010. The Redbirds defeated the Citadins 5-0 at Percival Molson Stadium on Sept. 18 before adding Friday&#8217;s 3-0 road victory, outscoring their cross-town rivals 8-0 over the two meetings.<\/p>\n<p>With three games remaining before the playoffs, second-place McGill trails division-leading Montreal (7-0-2) by four points in the seven-team Quebec conference. The Redbirds sit two points ahead of Laval (5-3-2), which has played one more game, and three ahead of fourth-place UQTR (5-3-1).<\/p>\n<p>McGill could finish anywhere from first to fourth in the tightly contested standings.<\/p>\n<p>Minchillo opened the scoring just 4:44 into the contest, giving McGill an early 1-0 lead. Noko doubled the advantage at the 45-minute mark, sending the Redbirds into halftime with a 2-0 cushion. Both goals were officially unassisted.<\/p>\n<p>Capraro put the game out of reach in the 90th minute, converting a setup from <a href=\"https:\/\/mcgillathletics.ca\/sports\/mens-soccer\/roster\/maher-fares\/15026\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"15026\" target=\"_blank\">Maher Fares<\/a> at 89:08 to complete the scoring.<\/p>\n<p>Ciociola, a fifth-year senior from Montreal, played all 90 minutes to earn his sixth shutout of the season and 18th career clean sheet in regular-season play. The Redbirds have outscored their opponents 15-1 during their seven-game undefeated streak, which began with a 1-0 victory at Laval on Sept. 11.<\/p>\n<p>McGill held a 9-6 advantage in attempted shots and an 8-4 edge in shots on goal. The Redbirds also generated four corner kicks to UQAM&#8217;s one.<\/p>\n<p>The Citadins used two goalkeepers. L\u00e9o Bihel started and made three saves before Antoine Lalibert\u00e9 took over early in the second half and added one stop.<\/p>\n<p>The match featured four yellow cards, three assessed to UQAM. Patient Misanga-Katembo, Dylan Nguelebanga and Younes Agnoug were cautioned for the Citadins, while <a href=\"https:\/\/mcgillathletics.ca\/sports\/mens-soccer\/roster\/vincent-boutet\/15063\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"15063\" target=\"_blank\">Vincent Boutet<\/a> received McGill&#8217;s lone yellow.<\/p>\n<p>McGill closes out its regular-season schedule with three games, beginning Sunday, Oct. 18, when the Redbirds host Sherbrooke (3-5-2) at Percival Molson Stadium at 1 p.m. They then visit cross-town rival Concordia (1-8-0) on Oct. 23 before returning home to face the division-leading Montreal Carabins (7-0-2) in their season finale on Oct. 25.<\/p>\n<p>UQAM, which fell to 2-8-0, visits UQTR on Sunday at 1 p.m.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mcgillathletics.ca\/sports\/mens-soccer\/stats\/2026-27\/uqam\/boxscore\/12536\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">BOXSCORE<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rseq-stats.ca\/universitaire\/soccer-m\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">RSEQ STATS &amp; STANDINGS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>==============================================<\/p>\n<p>SOURCE:<br \/>&#13;<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmcgillathletics.ca%2Fstaff.aspx%3Fstaff%3D24&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cearl.zukerman%40mcgill.ca%7Cfedee69593ee4ce8751008ddf9a869ee%7Ccd31967152e74a68afa9fcf8f89f09ea%7C0%7C0%7C638941223900150346%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=YCktntv%2BAuBW2Z1sUPZ5VD4YrH2S6YYeviF34MyB63I%3D&amp;reserved=0\" title=\"Original URL: http:\/\/mcgillathletics.ca\/staff.aspx?staff=24. Click or tap if you trust this link.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Earl Zukerman<\/a><br \/>&#13;<br \/>\nSports Information Officer<br \/>&#13;<br \/>\nAthletics &amp; Recreation<br \/>&#13;<br \/>\nMcGill University<br \/>&#13;<br \/>\nCELL:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mcgillathletics.ca\/news\/2026\/10\/16\/tel:514-983-7012\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">514-983-7012<\/a><br \/>&#13;<br \/>\nE-MAIL:<a href=\"https:\/\/mcgillathletics.ca\/news\/2026\/10\/16\/mailto:earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca?subject=E-mail+hyperlink+for+Earl+Zukerman\" title=\"https:\/\/mcgillathletics.ca\/news\/2026\/10\/16\/mailto:earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca?subject=E-mail+hyperlink+for+Earl+Zukerman\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">earl<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/mcgillathletics.ca\/news\/2026\/10\/16\/mailto:earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca?subject=E-mail+hyperlink+for+Earl+Zukerman\" title=\"https:\/\/mcgillathletics.ca\/news\/2026\/10\/16\/mailto:earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca?subject=E-mail+hyperlink+for+Earl+Zukerman\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">.zukerman@mcgill.ca<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"&#13; &#13; &#13; Next Game: Sherbrooke 10\/18\/2026 | 1 pm &#13; Oct. 18 (Sun) \/ 1 pm&#13; &#13;&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":936409,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[49,48,561,82],"class_list":["post-936408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/936408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=936408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/936408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/936409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=936408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=936408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=936408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}