The Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team recorded a pair of wins this weekend on the road against the Nipissing Lakers and the Laurentian Voyageurs.
The Ravens played their first game of the weekend in North Bay against the Lakers, winning 4-0.
Ravens forward Stefan Karajovanovic opened the scoring 14 minutes into the first half when he picked up a pass from fellow forward Emad Houache and beat Lakers goaltender, Nicholas Cirullo. Ten minutes later, Karajovanovic set up Ravens forward Gabriel Bitar who shot the ball into the back of the net.
Before the first half was complete, Houache buried the ball in the net to bring the Ravens to a 3-0 lead with another half still to play.
The Ravens would then get one more goal when Ravens defenseman Christopher Malekos scored the final goal three minutes before the end of the game. The Ravens shut out the Lakers, and were able to outshoot their opponents 10-0 in the match.
The next day, the Ravens travelled to Sudbury to take on the Voyageurs, looking to solidify their standing as the top team in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East division and continue their three game winning streak.
Ravens midfielder Walker Smith took a pass from Dario Conte and beat Voyageurs goaltender Connor Vande Weghe to open the scoring. Just as play was winding down in the first half, Smith scored his second goal of the game to put the Ravens up 2-0.
Halfway into the second half, Voyageurs midfielder Nicholas Correa put Laurentian on the board with their first goal of the game. The Ravens would then answer with another goal of their own seven minutes later as Bitar put the ball in the back of the net, ending any hope of a Laurentian comeback and securing the 3-1 win for the Ravens.
“I feel really positive coming back from up north after taking six points, so overall it’s been a positive and successful weekend,” said head coach Kwesi Loney.
The two wins have helped to strengthen the Ravens’ position in first place in the OUA East, ahead of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues by four points. The two games also continued the reign of terror that the Carleton offence has brought on the OUA, with a league high of 43 goals total. The goal scoring duo of Karajovanovic and Bitar are ranked first and third respectively in goals scored this season.
The Ravens play their next games on Oct. 7 and 8 as they face off against the Queen’s Gaels and the Royal Military College Paladins at home in MNP Park. The Ravens will look to extend their four game winning streak and continue to dominate on their way to the post-season.
Photo by Meagan Casalino
