The Carleton Ravens women’s soccer team extended their undefeated streak to six games with two victories over the weekend—a 1-0 win over the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues, and a 3-0 finish over the Ryerson Rams.
The Ravens faced off against fellow Ontario University Athletics (OUA) contender the Varsity Blues on Oct. 10 at MNP Park.
Both teams played offensively throughout the first half and the Ravens took many shots on goal, all turned aside by Blue’s keeper Sara Petrucci.
The first half ended with a 0-0 draw.
The Ravens continued to push, and took the lead early into the second half when Vanessa Germano scored the only goal of the game.
The Blues applied heavy pressure but the Ravens held out, ending the game with a 1-0 win.
“I felt we played much better against U of T—I feel like the Saturday game you’re just coming right out of the gate, you’re just more aware. I felt like our awareness, our composure, our patience on the ball was key, and again we won as a team,” said team captain Veronica Mazzella.
The Ravens played against the Ryerson Rams the following day, also at MNP Park.
The Rams started off strong and had many offensive chances in the first half. Ravens keeper Elizabeth MacDougall made several incredible saves early on, keeping Carleton in the game.
The Ravens took their first shot on goal in the 29th minute when Sarah Royer scored, securing a 1-0 lead for the end of the first half.
“The second day on the weekend is always tough ’cause you’re coming off that game on Saturday, so definitely we were very fortunate for Sarah Royer to score a goal in the first half,” Mazzella said.
The Ravens took a more offensive position in the second half while continuing to resist hard pressure from the Rams.
In the 64th minute Tina Lacava scored the Ravens’ second goal, increasing their lead to 2-0.
The Rams’ play failed to keep the Ravens out of their zone, and the Ravens’ Emily Copeland-Dinan scored the final goal of the match for the Ravens in the 84th minute.
After a tough battle, the Ravens finished the game with a 3-0 win.
The Ravens struggled early on in the season with scoring goals, but have now gone six games undefeated.
“We went through a big dry spell—we weren’t doing very well, and I felt like it was a mental change where losing isn’t an option. It’s a very family-oriented atmosphere and we play for one another, it’s just when it came to practices we started working much harder like there was a higher expectation and a higher accountability for everyone,” Mazzella said.
The Ravens sit in fourth place in OUA East standings, behind the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, Laurentian, and UOIT.
The Ravens will play again on Oct. 17 against the number-one ranked Gee-Gees.
