The Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team successfully completed their two-day away stint Oct. 1-2 with a 4-2 triumph over the Queen’s Golden Gaels followed by a 1-0 shutout against the Trent Excalibur.

With the two wins, the Ravens extend their win streak to five games and are still sitting atop the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) with 24 points.

Ravens’ star striker Andrew Latty, who has scored eight goals in nine games thus far this season, opened the floodgates against Queen’s, before midfielder Samuel McHugh added a pair in the first half. McHugh netted another goal in the 73rd minute to complete his hat trick and provide insurance on the win.

“The mood was intense,” said midfielder Joey Kewin, who suffered an injury against Trent due to a late tackle from behind. “We were short a few players due to injuries and cards but we used that as motivation and dominated the majority of the game [against Queen’s].”

Given the men’s loss to the Gaels in their home opener Sept. 7, their rematch Oct. 1 meant much more than just three points. The Ravens prevailed, despite an injury-plagued lineup.

“We had a lot of injuries going into it,” said assistant coach Kwesi Loney. “But we dug in deep. It was a battle, but we still showed up and it was a good win for us.”

The next day’s game against Trent was a far closer match. There was no scoring until the final minute, when striker Caki Simrooglu netted his fifth goal of the season to earn the victory for the Ravens. Goalkeeper Simon Brown recorded the shutout in the win.

“It was a hard-fought game, and it came down to who wanted it more. We came out in the second half and showed that we were hungry and we got the victory,” Loney said.

“Our depth has made our recent success possible,” Kewin said. “The players coming off the bench have not only filled the holes but have also played key roles in most of our wins.”

The Ravens shut out the Royal Military College Paladins 4-0 Oct. 5, putting the team six points ahead of the second-place York Lions.

Carleton has three games left to play in the regular season.