In their last regular season match of the season Oct. 23, the Carleton Ravens women’s soccer team found themselves falling short, losing 1-0 to the Ryerson Rams in Toronto.
After a sluggish first half, the Rams capitalized early in the second frame to secure the victory.
“Our season is short as it is and when we near the end it can get a little overwhelming,” said fifth-year Ravens defender Kayla Wood.
“I think [Oct. 23] was a case of our team just taking for granted our playoff position and not playing the game as if it could be our last.”
The Ravens finished the season with a record of 7-6-3, which was good enough for 24 points and fourth-place in the OUA East. As a result, Carleton managed to secure home-field advantage for their first playoff match.
“The thing about playoffs is it’s do or die,” Wood said. “Everything needs to be left out on the field. The idea that it may be the last game of the season is always a harsh reality. This is probably the most important time for us to play as a team and work together to win the game. This means coming into the games physically and mentally ready is something important to remember.”
As far as goals for playoffs, Wood seemed to have an idea of what the team needs to do in order to be successful.
“I’ve come across playoffs before and know how it feels to be knocked out first round or to make it all the way to the final four,” she said.
“I just hope that myself and fellow teammates can try to share our past experiences with our rookies so they have a better understanding of what’s at stake when going into these last few games.”
And in her final season with the team, Wood said she has one goal in her mind.
“I have never been to CIS Nationals with the Ravens, so of course that’s one of my goals. I want to finish my final year by attending nationals in PEI and I would love to share that experience with the team we have this year.”
Unfortunately for Wood and her teammates, she won’t be able to achieve her goal.
The Ravens saw their season come to an end Oct. 27 at Keith Harris Stadium, after suffering a 2-1 defeat to the Laurentian Lady Vees.
With a win, the Ravens would have moved on to meet the second-place University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in the OUA quarter-finals this weekend.
Alana Brady scored two first-half goals for the Lady Vees, and Melissa Baynes responded for the Ravens in the second half, but it was too little, too late.
The first-round playoff exit marked the last Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) game for Wood, along with her teammates Amanda Ngwafusi, Shayla LaVecchia and Sierra Phillips.