In the midst of all the homecoming celebrations, the Carleton Ravens women’s soccer team played their final two regular season matches Oct. 18-19 against the Trent Excalibur and University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks.
The Ravens started the weekend off strong with a 4-0 win against the Excalibur on Oct. 18, which Ravens head coach Raz El-Asmar said was a solid game.
“The girls played really well and scored a few goals and we needed that. It was a good confidence builder,” he said.
Ravens goalkeeper Elizabeth MacDougall recorded the blank sheet for her team, while striker Adrianna Ruggiero had two goals.
On Oct. 19, the Ravens ended their regular season in a loss to the Ridgebacks.
After taking time before the game to recognize eight graduating members of the Ravens for their contributions to the team, including Ruggiero, Nicole Fillipow, Veronica Mazzella, and leading scorer Sarah Royer, the Ravens took to the field aiming to add to their total points for the weekend.
However, things looked bleak for the Ravens when Ridgebacks midfielder Kayla De Souza scored just three minutes into the match.
Despite the shaky start, the Ravens managed to recover and found their rhythm, creating a few opportunities for themselves in front of the net, and challenging the Ridgebacks for possession of the ball.
In the 26th minute, Ravens forward Vanessa Germano was able to break through the Ridgebacks defence and bury the ball in the back of the net, equalizing the score at 1-1.
The Ravens were unable to maintain control over the game in the second half, which the Ridgebacks took full advantage of.
In the 56th minute, De Souza netted her second goal of the game for the Ridgebacks, lifting the ball over the head of Ravens goalkeeper Rada Mintchev.
Three minutes later, Ridgebacks midfielder Shynice Williams added another goal to the Ridgebacks total. The score would stay frozen at 3-1 as time ran out for the Ravens.
“I thought we started off really strong. We had really good possession at the beginning of the game,” Mazzella said. “Second half, we kind of dropped off a little too much and sometimes it’s hard to counter after a team scores a goal and then scores another one.”
As the team heads into the playoffs, El-Asmar cited consistency as a key factor in ensuring success.
“Today we played a good 45 minutes—I still feel that if we play the 90 minutes we can get up against pretty much any team out there,” he said. “So that will be the key for our first playoff game on Wednesday.”
El-Asmar also said the team has to push through the injuries suffered through the season.
“We just have to make sure that we play to our potential, and that we keep the healthy bodies, which has been a struggle all year, but I feel good about our chances,” he said.
The Ravens finished the season in fifth place in the Ontario University Athletics East division with a record of 7-5-4, and will kick off their playoff campaign on Oct. 22 against the Queen’s Golden Gaels in Kingston.
