Men’s soccer defend home turf, sit atop standings with 6-0 record

The Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team finally returned to MNP Park and won back-to-back games against Nipissing University and Laurentian University for their home opening weekend.  

With the wins, Carleton goes 6-0 on the season, and is looking to once again propel their way to the top of the standings and land a spot in the playoffs. 

On Sept. 14, Carleton came up against the Nipissing Lakers in front of 250 supporters for the official home opener. Head coach Kwesi Loney said the team knew the stage was set for victory.

“Getting to be home in front of friends, family, and the student body is amazing … we always want to do well for our fans,” Loney said. 

Right from the first whistle the game started off fast, and it was clear the hosts were looking to defend their home turf. 

The Ravens were dictating play through veteran players Dario Conte and Emad Houache. Conte seemingly had the ball glued to his feet throughout the entire game, and the No. 9 still continues to be one of the standouts on the team. 

With a visionary eye, the player can often create something out of nothing and that is exactly how the hosts took the lead. 

With limited options to bring the ball forward, Conte saw the keeper was off his line. He struck the ball from 40 yards out, kissing the crossbar as it flew past the goalkeeper, giving Carleton a 1-0 lead after 14 minutes. 

The Lakers, in retrospect, could barely get out of their own half, nor cope with the pace of the game set by hosts – most notably along the wings through Houache and Dante Cobisa.

Nipissing eventually grew into the game and had their own chance to level the score, but a goal line clearance from Diego Politis kept the Ravens in the lead. At halftime, the score remained 1-0. 

Coming into the second half, Loney’s side was a little more frustrated than usual, having continuously tested their opponents, but with little to show for it. 

Nipissing approached the game differently, keeping their shape and pressing out of their own half, and began to match the pace Carleton plays with.

But, the persistence from the hosts proved to be too much. Forward Stefan Karajovanovic doubled the lead in the 62nd minute after using his close control skills to slide the ball past the goalie. 

Throughout summer training and the first few games in the season, Karajovanovic has become a “clinical” player according to Loney, who is a key in promoting the team’s conversion rate. 

After going up 2-0, the Ravens still weren’t done and Loney switched on some “impact players” in the latter part of the second half. 

However, it was third-year midfielder Ricky Comba who managed to edge one more goal past the visitors and solidify the team’s 3-0 victory. 

The Ravens played the Laurentian Voyageurs on Sunday and once again came away with a win, thanks to their persistence. 

The first goal of the match was scored only two minutes in, when Silvio Simil made a run to the back post and thumped the ball into the back of the net.

While the Ravens were working hard to find another goal, the Voyageurs were putting up a fight. A free kick opportunity for Laurentian led to Graeme McLean floating the ball past Ravens keeper Kyle Potter and tying the game 1-1 after 16 minutes. 

Visibly frustrated, Comba encouraged the team with a pep talk. His leadership is vital to the squad, said Loney after the game.

“Ricky is well respected amongst the team, he’s probably one of the hardest workers that we have. He’s always programmed first,” he said. 

“The guys listen when he speaks and you can see that his goals are solely out of effort,” he added. “He’s constantly running, covers every part of the turf. He commands that respect of his teammates and runs for the team more than anyone else.”

Carleton then came out stronger and routinely pushed towards the net. They had five chances to take the lead, including two penalty appeals, but Laurentian was playing with five across the back and remained strong defensively. 

At half time, the score remained 1-1. 

Regardless of what the scoreline read, the team was playing well, coach Loney said.

“It wasn’t the half we wanted, but I thought our performance was still indicative of a good result for us. So we just kept it positive at half time, talked about reinforcing the defensive things, but offensively we were clicking,” he said. 

In the second half, the Voyageurs came out with a surge of energy.

Both teams entered the pitch looking to take the lead.The battle between the two was an entertaining one, but the Ravens managed to score first. 

Amidst the chaos, Conte found space for a shot but rattled it off the crossbar. Comba was quickest to the rebound, pouncing on the loose ball, and finished with a great heel flick to make it 2-1.

The once frustrated team had found their goal and experienced a rush of momentum to help secure the victory. 

Comba went on to give the hosts a bigger lead after scoring a header at the near post in the 58th minute. 

Conte eventually added one his own, scoring another long range shot to make it 4-1 for the Ravens, and that’s how the game finished.

His two goals from the weekend earned him the Athlete of the Week title from the Ontario University Athletics Division. 

The Ravens return to MNP Park on Sept. 22 when they take on the RMC Paladins at 3:30 p.m.