The Ravens men’s soccer team upset the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds 2-3 after extra time in the U Sports Men’s Soccer National Championship.
After losing the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East final to the York University Lions, Carleton’s quarterfinal matchup faced a difficult Thunderbirds squad who had won five national championships, the most recent being in 2012.
Besides the record, the Ravens also had the challenge of forcing an upset amongst a deafening atmosphere. Between fans, noisemakers, a band, and even fireworks, the team needed to stay strong mentally if they wanted to come out on top.
The match started off calm as both the Ravens and the Thunderbirds attempted to maintain possession within the first few minutes and settle into their formations.
Eventually, the speed from the Thunderbirds looked to threaten the defence but the Ravens were routinely shutting down their opponent’s thanks to a solid backline and performance by goalkeeper Nick Jeffs.
Defenders Diego Politis and Christopher Malekos worked well to routinely dispose of the Thunderbirds as Jeffs made five crucial saves to keep them from scoring.
However, there were two instances where it looked like Carleton would have to pull off a comeback in order to win as UBC scored two goals which were eventually ruled offside.
Heading into the second half, the scoreline remained 0-0.
In the last 45 minutes of regulation time, the Ravens shifted more into attack hoping to find the first breakthrough goal.
When the Ravens were in possession, they played with good visionary, passing with the midfield dictated by Dario Conte, who was named to the Canadian all-star team ahead of the tournament.
The fluid movement of the ball kept Carleton strong against UBC’s speed and in the 74th minute, the Ravens found their breakthrough after Gabriel Bitar’s footwork found the back of the net.
It looked as though the Ravens were heading for a 0-1 victory but the Thunderbirds found a goal of their own in the 85th minute as the game headed into extra-time tied 1-1.
In the first half of extra-time, the Ravens looked even hungrier for the win and did not rely as much on their defence as they did during regulation time.
The decision was a good one as two minutes in, the Ravens were up 1-2, thanks to a header from Malekos.
After the goal, the team shifted back to maintaining the ball in the midfield with midfielder Dante Cobisa and Captain Tristan St. Pierre doing a lot of work both defensively and offensively.
The Ravens were not happy only being up one goal and were looking to put this game to bed. Another goal from Bitar right before the end of the half saw the Ravens extend their lead 1-3.
Heading into the second half of extra-time, Carleton remained on top over the Thunderbirds but with only a few minutes later, the hosts scrambled for a goal to make it 2-3. A comeback was lurking.
However, with only four minutes of stoppage time remaining, the Ravens held on and were able to pull off a huge upset win against the tournament host.
After the victory, St. Pierre said that the key to winning this match was to remain level headed and energized on the pitch—a factor which was hard to balance as play grew more intense.
“We knew coming into this tournament, we would be one of the smaller teams here, if not the smallest. So it’s a lot to do with how we compete and going up for the ball no matter what,” he said.
Head coach Kwesi Loney said he was pleased with what he saw on the pitch from his players and applauded their persistence.
“We knew if we got one or two [goals] we would be able to finish them,” Loney said. “It was just a matter if we were able to keep them off the scoresheet as well . . . we had to come out and fight, every team deserves to be here.”
The Ravens will now face the Cape Breton University Capers in the semi-final match on Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m. PST/9:30 p.m. EST.
Photo by Salomon Micko Benrimoh/The Ubyssey
