The Ravens women’s soccer team’s season ended Nov. 1 with a 4-3 overtime loss to the heavily favoured University of Ottawa (U of O) Gee-Gees.
The sixth-seeded Ravens just came off a 2-0 upset over the third-seeded University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) on Oct. 28.
“Against UOIT nobody was considering us for anything—[we] go there and the girls fight the toughest conditions,” said Ravens head coach Raz El-Asmar. “After that, they wanted it today.”
The Ravens came out of the gate with Sarah Royer firing a shot from 30 yards out only to hit the crossbar.
The Ravens’ momentum was stopped short as Aaliyah MacPherson was given a red card for an intentional hand ball within the six yard line. The Gee-Gees were awarded a penalty kick, and Gee-Gee Julia Francki scored on the kick, giving the Gee-Gees a 1-0 lead eight minutes into the game.
With the red card the Ravens had to play one player short for the remainder of the game. The Gee-Gees took full advantage of the short-handed Ravens, scoring their second goal with a tap-in at the 20 minute mark.
There was no score for the final 20 minutes of the half. At the break, El-Asmar told his team they were playing incredibly and just needed one goal.
“All I said was look, we’re the better team, we’re down, but that has nothing to do with the results—we just need one goal, give us one goal and you’re back in the game,” El-Asmar said. “We were not supposed to be here and we’re here. There’s a reason why were still fighting and then now it’s in us, we got nothing to lose. This has to be ours and they responded with a fight, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Couldn’t have asked for any better effort.”
The Ravens returned to the pitch after the half with a newfound energy. In the 58th minute the Ravens managed to bring the score within one as Tina Lacava scored off a scramble in front of the Gee-Gees’ net.
The rally didn’t stop there as 10 minutes later Royer scored a hard-fought goal from around 30 yards out.
“I would say that my team did beyond what I expected,” said Ravens keeper Elizabeth MacDougal.
The Gee-Gees weren’t out yet, as a Carleton penalty led to a free kick which the U of O’s Ellie Cowan managed to head the kick past MacDougal.
As the game ran down, the Ravens once again managed to tie the game. Lacava netted her second of the game off a rebound from Gee-Gees keeper Cynthia Leblanc, forcing the game to go to overtime. MacDougal attributed this fight to the veterans on the team.
“I would actually say it was the veterans of the team, the fifth years, they really pulled us together, they were the ones who wanted it and we wanted it for them,” MacDougal said.
Both teams traded scoring opportunities before the 100th minute the Gee-Gees Pilar Khoury managed to capitalize on a low shot past MacDougal. The Ravens pushed in the final minutes but the whistle sounded at 120 minutes, ending the Ravens’ playoff run.
Despite the loss, El-Asmar said he was still proud of his team.
“Today was not about soccer—it was not about football, it was about heart, but the fight, we couldn’t believe it from the sideline,” El-Asmar said.
El-Asmar said he believed his team outplayed the Gee-Gees and the results on the board didn’t reflect the true winner.
“No disrespect to the opponent, but I believe the better team did not win today,” he said.
MacDougal said it is never fun losing but the team left it all on the field and that counts for something.
“It’s never a nice way to go out but the effort we showed today that’s the kind of game to end on, we gave it our all. We were crawling off the field, and that’s the way to go out on,” she said.
