Defence wins championships — an old adage in sports that’s been heard over and over again. But for the Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team, that saying proved to be untrue last season.
Despite a watertight back-four that kicked-off the year with a streak of 735 minutes (just over eight games) without conceding a goal, the Ravens experienced a disappointing playoff exit at the hands of the Ryerson Rams in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) quarter-final.
“It’s great to keep a clean sheet, but if you don’t score goals, you’re not going to win,” said head coach Sandy Mackie in the midst of last season.
Going into the 2011-12 campaign, the Ravens were surely looking for more firepower to help boster their front line. After all, midfielder Joey Kewin couldn’t be expected to handle the scoring burden on his own once again.
Enter Andrew Latty.
The rookie striker has been a revelation for the young Ravens squad, who sits in second place the team in scoring with eight goals, one behind third-year striker Caki Simrooglu. For Latty, the impressive tally is nothing less than he expected coming into the year.
“When I tried out this summer, my goal was to be the leading scorer on the team and in the league as well, so I definitely put some pressure on myself,” he said.
The Ottawa native certainly didn’t waste any time trying to reach his target. After entering the match as a substitute, Latty netted the game-winner in the 83rd minute of the Ravens season opener against Ryerson.
“When he came into that game, he was able to break it open with his strength and his pace,” said assistant coach Kwesi Loney. “From that first game, he really started to show signs of what he was capable of doing and he’s become better and better throughout the year.”
While it didn’t show on the pitch, Latty said he wasn’t fully accustomed to the new league until about four games into the season.
If he was having any doubts about his adjustment level, five goals in two games against the Nipissing Lakers put an end to that halfway through the season.
Using his blistering pace and imposing physical presence, the striker has become an essential part of the Ravens’ success. With Latty leading the line in attack, the men sit third in the national rankings, having just captured another Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East division crown.
For Loney, the powerful striker fits right in with the aggressive and physical style of play found in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) soccer.
And then there’s the speed factor.
“Speed in any sport is always going to be a differentiater between a good squad and average squad,” Loney said. “Because of Latty’s pace he always deserves the respect of his opponent.”
Even when he doesn’t find his way onto the scoresheet, Latty has been instrumental in making the teammates around him better, Loney added.
“He just instills a little bit more confidence for us going forward and scoring goals,” Loney said. “Simply because he’s such a threat, he draws attention from other teams, which allows our players to then get a little bit more time on the ball and get their own scoring opportunities as well.”
The next challenge for the 5’9” attacker is the post-season, something he said he’s “extremely excited” to be a part of.
With the OUA quarter-final set for Oct. 30 at Keith Harris Stadium, Ravens fans will be hoping that Latty can build upon his strong showing from the regular season.
“The playoffs are a different beast. Some guys thrive in it and some guys crumble under the pressure,” Loney said. “I’m really positive about Latty and his ability and I’m confident he’ll step up to that challenge.”