The Lakers couldn’t keep up with the Raven men Oct. 28 in the OUA quarterfinals match (Photo: Adam Dietrich)
“We need a goal Carleton!” The chanting from the Red Zone said it all, and in the pressure of overtime, the Ravens produced.
The Carleton men’s soccer team defeated the Nipissing Lakers 2-1 to advance to the Ontario University Atheltics (OUA) semi-finals on Oct. 31 where they will face Queen’s University.
The sixth-place, final-qualifying Lakers team came to Carleton with nothing to lose in the quarterfinal match against the third place Ravens, who were sitting 10 points above them in the OUA East standings.
The Carleton Ravens dominated most of the first half, maintaining possession and controlling the tempo of the game.
They capitalized early on in the game on a breakaway in the eighth minute. Ravens striker Caki Simrooglu finished, sliding the ball into the bottom corner past Nipissing goalkeeper Cory Schwartz. They continued to pressure the Lakers throughout the first half but could not put home a second goal to ensure a comfortable lead.
The Ravens came out slow in the second half, unable to match the energy brought by Nipissing from the kick off. Laker Odean Thompson tied the match within the first two minutes of the half, beating Ravens keeper Karl Wasslen and bringing life back to the Nipissing side.
Multiple attempts by both teams were made to break the tie in the second half, but neither side could get on the scoreboard again, forcing two 15-minute overtime halves.
The Ravens took command in the first period of overtime, scoring within the two-minute mark. Simrooglu put his second goal of the game past the Lakers keeper, scoring what would be the winning goal of the match. But they needed to hold the lead to come out with the victory.
Carleton controlled the remaining overtime with Wasslen making two critical saves, ending the season for Nipissing.
“The better team won,” said a Nipissing fan. “They know how to keep the ball on the ground and work it through their players.”
This quarterfinal win advances the Ravens to the OUA semi-final match in Kingston this weekend versus the second-place Queen’s University Golden Gaels. Carleton is coming off a 4-1 win over the Golden Gaels last weekend.
Players of the game were to Raven Caki Simrooglu and Laker Mohammed Nyangado.