The Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team just can’t seem to figure out the McMaster Marauders.
After being thwarted by them in heartbreaking fashion at home in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) semi-finals last year, it was the men from Hamilton who once again got the better of the Ravens in the Nov. 4 OUA final at York University.
That loss in 2011, and the one before it in 2009, was doubly painful as it also sent Carleton crashing out of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national championships line-up.
But this year, things have shaped up a little differently.
Despite going down in the finals, a narrow win in the semis of the OUA Final Four on Saturday against the unbeaten York Lions was enough for the Ravens to book themselves a ticket in next week’s CIS finals at Université Laval for the first time since 2005.
The Lions, ranked number one nationally, entered the semi-finals as strong favourites to go all the way, boasting an unbeaten 14-0-2 regular season record.
But on a bitterly cold November weekend, it was veteran midfielder Joey Kewin who broke a scoreless deadlock in the 115th minute to seal an unlikely win for the Ravens.
“For us to come into that game and play 120 minutes and come out with that result was a great test of our character as a team,” said Kwesi Loney, the Ravens assistant coach.
Until Kewin’s lone marker, the game looked to be heading towards a penalty shootout with both schools playing defensively and quality scoring chances few and far between.
It wasn’t until deep into extra-time when a seemingly harmless cross into the York area found the foot of Kewin who tapped in from close range that a winner was decided.
Extra-time was needed in the second semi-final as well by McMaster to win their match-up against the Queen’s Gaels.
A highly entertaining fixture saw the score level at two apiece after regulation time, but a three-goal burst by the Marauders in extra-time proved decisive as they ended up winning comfortably 5-2.
In the finals on Sunday, Nov. 4, McMaster put on a clinical performance to take apart the Ravens. They didn’t concede once and scored five times before the final whistle to win their second straight OUA title and send a fierce warning ahead of next week’s national championships.
After yet another loss to McMaster at the business end of the OUA championships, Loney said that with the prospect of nationals looming large, the Ravens were perhaps guilty of getting ahead of themselves.
“I think the victory we had [Nov. 3 against York] just took a lot out of us and we tried to think too far ahead at nationals, not looking at the game we had on hand,” Loney said.
“You overlook a very quality team and when you overlook good opponents you get punished and that was the difference today.”
With the OUA season done and dusted, the attention now shifts to the CIS Men’s Soccer Championship in Quebec City Nov. 8-11, where the eight best schools in the country will battle it out for the Sam Davidson Memorial Trophy.
Loney said that the challenge of playing with the best soccer teams in Canada would motivate the Ravens, and that after their loss in the finals against the Marauders on Sunday, they would be keen to make amends.
“Hopefully we’ll have an excellent showing in our first game and be able to carry that through to a successful showing in the week,” Loney said.
The format of the championships leaves no room for error as teams play single elimination matches before two semis-finals and the championship match. The fixtures kick-off at Le Stade TELUS-Université Laval on Thursday Nov. 8 with the final scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
After being runners-up twice in 2002 and 1984, The Ravens will begin their bid for their first ever national championship when they take on the Cape Breton University Capers on Thursday morning.
