Following a disappointing 4-1 loss to the Ryerson Rams on Sept. 11, the Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team was back at MNP Park on Sept. 14 to take on the Trent Excalibur.
Carleton displayed plenty of offensive talent in scoring a season-high nine goals, as they downed the Trent Excalibur 9-1 in a very one sided affair.
Ravens head coach Kwesi Loney said the loss to Ryerson reminded the team of what they wanted to accomplish this season.
“We just kind of wanted to get refocused and exorcise some demons in today’s game,” he said.
Carleton controlled play throughout the first half, limiting Trent to only a few chances from corner kicks and their counterattack. The scoring was opened in the 11th minute with a Daud Dahir shot that was stopped by Trent goalkeeper David Ellis, which careened out towards Gordon Goodkey who promptly buried it.
In the 17th minute, the Ravens appeared to have added on to their lead but their score was nullified because of an offside call. Eight minutes later Carleton pushed the score to 2-0 with a thunderous strike, taken from the 40-yard line, by third-year midfielder Tristan St. Pierre.
Loney said St. Pierre’s strike was great following the game.
“We have seen him do it in training many times, he just always looking for that opportunity in a game,” he said. “He’s always looking for that strike and he can definitely hit it from there, so it is great to see him finish there to give him some confidence.”
The lead was then pushed to three when Sultan Alaitah scored his first career goal as a Raven.
While Carleton controlled play throughout the first half, Trent’s counterattacks led to some opportunities that ultimately resulted in a long Excalibur cross, which Jaycob Bond finished.
By the end of the first half, the Ravens led Trent by a score of 3-1.
The Ravens amped up the pressure in the second half and dominated possession, adding another six goals to their tally.
Dahir gathered the rebound from a Dondrae Fells shot in the 58th minute that rattled off the crossbar and made it 4-1 for the home side.
A flurry of goals ensued with Mekonen Lovemore-White finding the back of the net, while Gordon Goodkey potted his second of the match minutes later.
Alaitah also buried his second in the 70th minute and Dahir completed his hat trick by scoring another two goals in the final seven minutes of play.
Though the game against Trent was the third game in five days for the Ravens, they’ll return to MNP Park on Sept. 16 to face the RMC Paladins.
Loney said his team will focus on preparation in order to excel in spite of a busy schedule.
“Tomorrow is a little bit of recovery, tomorrow watch some tape, bring ourselves back down from today and get refocused again for Friday because another team is another game,” he said. “You can always lose points in this league, so you want to make sure that we’re still focused on the task at hand and enjoy this one for tonight, but obviously tomorrow is back to work.”
