The undefeated Guelph Gryphons continued their quest for the program’s first national title at the U Sports men’s soccer nationals at Carleton on Thursday, winning 2-0 over the Saint Mary’s Huskies to advance to the semifinals.
If there’s one thing the Gryphons had to be careful of when playing the Huskies, it was letting down their guard.
The Huskies weren’t the fiercest team in Atlantic University Sports (AUS). They ended in fourth place with a 6-3-3 record and fought their way past the top-seeded St. Francis Xavier X-Men to qualify for U Sports men’s soccer nationals. But after starting the season 0-2-0, Saint Mary’s lost only one of their final 10 games, helped by four comeback victories.
That’s why, even for the Gryphons, their 1-0 lead after a goal in the 37th minute was precarious.
Guelph eventually added on in the 74th minute. The Huskies played well in the first 30 minutes before Guelph adapted and broke through.
“When you get to this level, every team is outstanding. You need the breaks to go your way,” Gryphons head coach Keith Mason said. “Nobody’s lying down to die. This is last-chance saloon … People are fighting for their lives.”
With the win at Ravens Perch, the Gryphons remain undefeated. They allowed only three goals against during the regular season, the lowest in all of U Sports, and beat the Carleton Ravens and York Lions en route to their third Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship.
Now, Guelph is looking for its first national title.
“We’re all feeling very ecstatic,” Mason said. “Our goal was staying alive, as the Bee Gees would say, and to still be there to play on Sunday [in the championship].”
The first 20 minutes saw few scoring opportunities for either team. The Gryphons began to put more offensive pressure on Saint Mary’s as the first half went on, leading to rookie forward Owen McKee’s goal in the 37th minute.
The goal came on a corner kick that hung around the net. The ball was passed through traffic to McKee, who tipped it in.
⚽️MSCR HIGHLIGHT (U SPORTS 1/4): Owen McKee opens the scoring for the Gryphons as he’s in the right spot at the right time to tap home the initial shot that took a deflection! #GryphonPride pic.twitter.com/sV0LLuUzYP
— Guelph Gryphons (@guelph_gryphons) November 18, 2021
An Ottawa native, McKee said he’s played at Ravens Perch many times and had his grandparents, parents and brother in the stands to watch him play on Thursday.
“It’s nice to be comfortable in different environments,” McKee said. “I’ve put many goals on both of those nets [at Ravens Perch], so it’s nice to be back and be able to do that again.”
Guelph’s second goal came in the 74th minute. Midfielder Alexander Zis received a pass just outside the penalty arc, kicking it with his left foot past a diving Huskies’ goalie.
The goal put the finishing touches on a big win for Guelph, who advanced to the semifinals and will face the Montreal Carabins after their 2-1 quarterfinal win on a penalty shoot-out.
For the Huskies, the loss ends their quest for a national title. The Huskies will play in the consolation semifinals on Friday.
“We weren’t the favourites but we got through to the final [in the AUS],” Huskies goalkeeper Jensen Brown said. “Once we came here, we knew that we could tell everybody we are a team that can compete on this level.”
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
