The Carleton men’s water polo team saw their dreams of repeating as provincial champions fall just short, losing in the final of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championships at home to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Nov. 18.
“I’m just disappointed for the players,” Ravens head coach Zoltan Csepregi said.
“It’s just hard to watch those faces. We worked so hard and we were looking forward to this game, and that’s the hardest part.”
Carleton had a great start to the game, taking an early 4-1 lead. However, the Varsity Blues controlled the play from then on, scoring eight unanswered goals en route to the 11-7 victory.
“My team worked really hard, and in the end I think the team that wanted it more won,” University of Toronto (U of T) head coach Vlad Tasevski said.
Ravens captain Cole Wagner said it was a “hollow feeling” after realizing they lost.
The momentum of the game swung completely in U of T’s favour after Carleton blew their early lead.
“I think we sat back a little after going up 4-1, and that’s when you’ve got to go in for the kill,” Csepregi said.
“They had the momentum and they held it for a long, long time. It’s hard to get that back and we didn’t grind it out today.”
“They had a really strong start, but the most important thing is that my players responded really well,” Tasevski said.
“They didn’t panic, they stuck to our strategy, and I think that’s what helped us prevail.”
Reporting by Callum Micucci
Produced by Callum Micucci and Gerrit De Vynck
Carleton had several big wins on their road to the final, winning against the University of Ottawa 20-5 and York University 24-3 in the round-robin, and beating Western University 17-8 in the semi-finals.
Wagner said winning games easily in the early rounds might have hurt them in the final.
“We were never really pushed this entire tournament and I think it showed today,” he said. “When they climbed back into it I don’t think we had been tested like that soon enough in this tournament, and we didn’t react the right way.”
The two schools met in the final for the second straight year, with the Ravens winning the title last season.
The streak of either U of T or Carleton winning the OUA crown now extends to nine years, with the Ravens winning it all twice, in 2007 and 2011.
“Our rivalry with U of T has always been huge and it always will be in water polo,” Wagner said.
“It is tough to see them win, but at the same time, it’s a rivalry that I think breeds a lot of respect too. So it’s another notch in the rivalry, and we’ll be back next year probably in the same final.”
Csepregi said his team should be satisfied winning silver despite the tough loss.
“It’s definitely a success for the program,” he said. “I don’t think there is anything to be ashamed of. Second place is pretty good, but we always want the gold and that’s what you play for.”
The Ravens have a very young roster, something Wagner points to as a sense of optimism for the future of the program.
“We’ve got a young team, not many people are graduating, so we’re going to be back again next year, and definitely have that motivation and fire to come back and win again,” he said.
