The Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team began their season on a winning note, picking up four of a possible six points on the road over the Labour Day long weekend.
Carleton beat the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in a close 1-0 match Aug. 31, and tied the Ryerson University Rams in a 2-2 battle the following day.
“Between the two games, I thought we did OK,” Ravens assistant coach Kwesi Loney said. “Our first game wasn’t anywhere near where our expectations were, but we were able to get the win, which is a positive,” he said.
Ravens midfielder Joey Kewin said beating rival teams made the four-point weekend even more important.
“Toronto and Ryerson are two of our biggest rivals and playing them the first weekend of the season is tough, but to go out there and get four points bodes well for us,” he said.
The Ravens were able to defeat the Varsity Blues thanks in large part to goalkeeper Callum Ayre’s first shutout of the season.
“I just tried to do my part for the team,” he said. “I wanted to be able to set my team up to win at the end of the game, and I thought I gave us a chance to win.”
Ayre, entering his second year at Carleton, was the third-string keeper at the start of last season.
But with last year’s starter Mark Krocko graduating and the team’s backup keeper leaving the team, Ayre said he battled his way up the depth chart and was able to win the starting job for this season.
“It left the door open for me, and I didn’t want to let that opportunity go to waste,” he said.
The Sept. 1 game against Ryerson ended in a 2-2 draw, but the Ravens would have won the game if not for a 19th-minute goal from Ryerson to prevent Carleton from opening with back-to-back victories.
“We had a couple mistakes, and it was kind of a defensive error and they capitalized on it,” Kewin said.
Ayre said the first two games and the Sept. 4 game against the Queen’s University Gaels will help set the tone for their entire season.
“If we do well in these first three games, we’re setting ourselves up well to finish at the top of the table,” he said.
Kewin, entering his fifth and final season at Carleton, said he is more motivated than ever before to do well because it will be the final year in his Ravens career.
He said his team’s goal is to make it to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport eight-team national championship tournament again, but he does not want to lose in the first round like last season.
“Nationals are definitely our goal again for this year, not just to get there, but to place high, like Final Four, top two teams, and even win a national championship,” he said.
