The Carleton men’s soccer team has started the 2016 season in impressive fashion, beating Trent University and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) en route to its first 2-0 start since 2012.
The victories were the first two games for Kwesi Loney as head coach. The rookie manager said focus and organization were the primary reasons for the club’s hot start, but has already turned his attention to the upcoming games on the schedule.
Following an 11-day break between games, Carleton will host games on consecutive days against two strong Toronto teams.
Carleton will matchup against the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues, who are 3-0-1, next Saturday on Sept. 10. They will follow up that game with one against the 4-0 Ryerson Rams the following day.
Although both games will pose unique challenges to the Ravens, the game against the Rams will be an important game for the team, especially when considering the recent history between the two programs.
Ryerson and Carleton have split games over the past several seasons, including two draws last year, but Ryerson currently holds the bragging rights in the matchup with their 3-0 victory over Carleton in last year’s Ontario University Athletics (OUA) quarterfinal playoff game. The Rams’ Nick Lambis notched two goals in the knockout game that ended Carleton’s season.
Loney described Ryerson as a “very technical and physical team,” and expects the game to be a competitive one, based on the team history and current positions near the top of the East Division.
“We will need to be disciplined in controlling the central section of the field,” Loney said.
Starting with the matchup with U of T, Carleton will kick off a stretch in which they will play five games in just nine days.
According to Loney, the young Ravens squad will be taught a lot over the nine day stretch, and is looking for them to find some type of consistency.
“This year sort of represents a changing of the guard,” he said. “We have new faces and we have come into the season reorganized and refocused. This stretch will be very important for our development.”
Four of Carleton’s next five games will be played at MNP Park, and the team will wrap up the season with five games on the road. Despite this, Loney said he does not feel that location affects the result of a game.
“We feel like we should be able to play at our best no matter where we play,” Loney said, and added there are less distractions for the team to worry about on the road.
Carleton will be in action this weekend at MNP Park against U of T on Sept. 10 at 3:15 p.m. and Ryerson on Sept. 11 at 3:15 p.m.
