Ravens fans bundled up on Friday night to cheer on their women’s soccer team as they took on TMU Bold at TAAG Park in the first of a crucial two-game home stand.
Although the Bold — locked in the last playoff spot — didn’t have much to play for, the Ravens came out in full force to grab a valuable three points, propelling them into the top spot in the OUA East.
The Ravens dominated the Bold from the opening kickoff, controlling the play through 90 minutes en route to a 6-0 victory on home turf. Their four-goal second half and Lauren Illman’s hat-trick capped off a stellar performance.
“We capitalized on all our chances and that’s what we needed to do,” Illman said after the game.
The Ravens were coming off nearly a two-week break since their last game — a 5-0 blowout win against the RMC Paladins — before playing two games in three days to round out their regular season.
“We were wondering how we would come out, head coach Dom Oliveri said after the game.
“We had a couple weeks off, and it’s hard not to play when you get in that rhythm.”
The Ravens, who hadn’t lost a game in more than a month, came out firing.
Just four minutes in, Illman pressured and stole the ball off a Bold defender before floating a long shot over the goalkeeper. The Ravens’ leading scorer has given the home crowd plenty to cheer for this season, scoring seven goals through five home games.
“She’s come a long way from five years ago when she started with us,” Oliveri said.
“She’s a senior player, someone we can rely on to score goals and perform in some big games.”
Right before halftime, the Ravens seemingly doubled their lead off a corner kick but the goal was overturned.
“I’m pretty sure if you ask them, they’re going to say that we were offside because the three players around the goalkeeper were interfering with [them],” he said.
“We’d have to watch it back but to be honest, I didn’t think we were anywhere close to impeding the goalkeeper.”
The Ravens bounced right back, nonetheless.
On the ensuing corner kick, Ravens defender Mia Hollingsworth — whose goal was overturned just minutes before — was fouled inside the box.
Illman stepped up to the line with a chance to double the Ravens lead in extra time and made no mistake, slotting in her second of the evening off the penalty kick to put the Ravens ahead 2-0 at half.
Early in the Ravens’ dominant second half, Illman found herself at the line again for a chance at the hat trick but was denied on the penalty kick.
She redeemed herself later, capping off her three-goal performance.
In the last nine minutes, the Ravens put the game well out of reach as two more players added their names to the scoresheet to secure the 6-0 win.
Attacker Ava Mills scored her sixth and seventh goals of the season, including a lob in extra time.
Captain Mikayla Moser added her fifth of the year with her signature 50-yard dash past the defence, finishing with a smooth dribble around the goalkeeper.
The win extends the Ravens’ streak to three straight victories. Over that stretch, they haven’t conceded a goal, outscoring opponents 14-0.
“We came into this weekend knowing that we needed six points,” Illman said.
“Getting three points … is a start, but we have another game coming up this weekend that’s a must-win as well.”
The Ravens look to stay hot when they welcome the Queen’s Gaels on Sunday in a fight for first place in the OUA East. The two will kick off at 1:00 p.m, with a chance to make history.
“There’s some big games tomorrow that’ll decide how this plays out,” Oliveri said.
“We’re trying to do something this program I don’t think has been done before, which is finish first.”
Featured image by Denielle Gaudet/the Charlatan
