Scoring one game-winning goal can be exciting, but scoring two in back-to-back games?
“Awesome,” says first-year Ravens forward Melissa Gilligan.
Gilligan not only scored game-winning goals but propelled her team to win against the Nipissing University Lakers and Laurentian University Voyageurs at home, earning her the title of Ontario University Athletics (OUA) player of the week on Sept. 16.
Hailing from Cornwall, Ont., the first-year child studies student is adjusting to life as a Raven. After transferring from Algonquin College this year, Gilligan has been one of the Ravens’ key offensive players this season and helped the team clinch third place in the OUA East division and a spot in the quarter finals.
When asked about how it feels to embrace the culture at Carleton, Gilligan said it has taken some time getting used to being a university student.
“I never really thought about being in university when I was in high school—I wasn’t really the smartest. Now that I’m here, it’s such a different environment than college—I love it.”
In her collegiate career as a player for the Algonquin Thunder, Gilligan scored 10 goals for the 2017-18 season, with a match-high two goals in a 5-0 win over the Durham College Lords, last September.
That season, the Thunder made the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) playoffs with a 12-0 record, and a remarkable 62 goals for, and two goals against.
Led by Dominic Oliveri, who became head coach of the Ravens in January, the Thunder swept all their opponents in last year’s playoffs, capturing the gold medal in their 2-1 win against the Humber College Hawks.
When explaining her path to the OUA, Gilligan said Oliveri was a key factor in why she transferred to Carleton.
“With the proven success we had at Algonquin, we wanted to mirror [that] here at Carleton,” Gilligan said. “As a young team, learning to win is a priority right now, but soon enough, it will translate into deeper success.”
Gilligan described the women’s soccer team as young, and she is not wrong. The Ravens have a total of 22 players who are first- and second-year standing.
Being on a young team, Gilligan said there is a consistent chemistry among players, as most of them have played together in the past.
“Having known some of them through the summer and training camp, it was a way easier transition to find chemistry once the season started,” she said.
Academically, Gilligan said that going to a university was not in her future. Gilligan added how she wanted to settle at the college level and focus on her soccer career.
After asking how she balances the academic and athletic side of school, Gilligan said her program allows her to be flexible, while still focusing on soccer.
“In my ESP [English for Specific Purposes] program, I have three courses instead of the regular five that most students take. In all of my classes, I have essays and work to keep me [studying] though.”
Overall, Gilligan is no stranger to the spotlight. After a championship run last year at Algonquin, to the Ravens’ OUA playoff quarter-final loss to the University of Toronto on Oct. 24, Gilligan knows that hard work and poise is the key to success.
Looking forward after her career, Gilligan added that one of the main goals she wants to accomplish during her tenure as a Raven is to earn her degree.
“The main thing is to graduate with something, because typically in women’s sports, we don’t get paid as much compared to men. So, even if I wanted to go professional and play soccer, I’d still need a job to fall back on.”
Photo by Tim Austen
