The Carleton Ravens women’s soccer team ended their regular season with a 3-0 win over the Ryerson Rams Oct. 23.
“It was good because we were under pressure,” said Ravens head coach Alex McNutt. “We had to win and we were still able to play well.”
With the win, the Ravens secured home-field advantage in the first round of playoffs Oct. 26.
The Ravens controlled the game from the opening kick-off, with rookies Adrianna Ruggerio and Kwanzaa Robest-Prescod wreaking havoc down the wings.
Robest-Prescod notched the first goal of the game in the 11th minute, after streaking down the right wing, cutting inside and letting loose her shot. Ryerson’s goalie Katrina Persson-Thomas seemed to have the ball under control before seeing it slip out of her grasp and roll underneath her to cross the line.
The Rams tried to find an immediate response, only to have Ravens goalkeeper Anna Morsky acting as a defender, sweeping away all the balls Ryerson sent at her defenders.
The Ravens looked strong, attacking with Nicole Filipow acting as a playmaker, distributing the ball out to either wing to help the Ravens overpower their defensive markers.
Carleton’s effort paid off just before halftime with Filipow poking home the second goal of the game. Robest-Prescod beat her marker on the wing and her low cross found Filipow at the near post, who tucked the ball in to double the Ravens lead.
The second half started quietly with both teams careful to not commit too many players forward in search of a goal. Goalkeeper Rachel Bedek, brought on as a half time substitute, spent her opening time in goal clearing loose balls.
Second-year midfielder Shannon Cosgrove tried to bring the Rams back into the game, making long runs down the left flank only to see her crosses drift into a box empty of Rams attackers.
Fifth-year midfielder Shayla LaVecchia had a chance to end her regular season career as a Raven with a goal but her shot sailed wide after being in open space in front of the Rams’ goal.
The Ravens were able to seal the win with 10 minutes remaining, when substitute Melissa Baynes scored her first goal of the season after a scramble in the box. Robest-Prescod’s cross wasn’t dealt with by the Rams defence and two Ravens players took swings at the ball with Baynes burying the shot.
The Ravens will host the Laurentian Voyageurs in their first-round playoff matchup Oct. 26. Carleton beat Laurentian once and tied them once this season.
“It’s going to be a battle. When we beat them there we had to really fight them,” McNutt said. “We’re banking on outplaying them.”
Laurentian’s advantage lies in their taller squad and their ability to win the aerial battle.
“We want to win the second balls,” McNutt said. “They’re very direct which means we have to be careful to not allow space behind our defence.”
For many of the Ravens players, this represents their first experience of playoff action at the university level.
“We’re just really hoping to come away with good results and show we (all the rookies) all have had an impact,” Filipow said.