The final weekend of the regular season for the Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team ended the way they started against the Trent Excalibur and the University of Ontario Insitute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks.
First up on Oct. 18 was a night time meeting against the Excalibur, and despite the cold weather the Ravens were red-hot as they were able to secure the victory early on their way to a 3-0 victory.
The home team wasted no time getting the lead in front of a loud homecoming crowd, with second-year forward Marco Pozzi getting his team-leading ninth goal of the season.
After the initial goal, the Ravens didn’t slow down as they were able to get a second in the 16th minute of play when third-year midfielder Daud Dahir found the back of the net.
Trent’s frustration to get a hold on the game became apparent as the tempers boiled over, resulting in a number of malicious tackles from both sides. This allotted a red card for the Excalibur right before the halftime break.
For the majority of the second half, the Ravens were able to maintain pressure on the visiting team, limiting them to only one shot on net.
The Ravens were able to get another goal for good measure in the 88th minute, this time through a less likely source with second year defender Jordan Rollocks scoring his second goal of the year.
While they came away with a victory, it wasn’t all smiles for the Ravens, as Pozzi was forced to leave the game with an undisclosed injury.
With the victory, the Ravens were guaranteed at least fourth place in the conference and home field advantage for the first round of playoffs.
“There are a lot of external factors that come into play on those types of games such as travel . . . knowing we are at home, on our turf is a huge advantage and confidence boost,” fourth-year midfielder Theodore Lopez de Castilla said.
On Oct. 19, the Ravens finished their season against the newest members of the Ontario University Athletics East division, the UOIT Ridgebacks.
However, earlier in the day the University of Toronto had defeated the Laurentian Voyageurs which meant no matter what happened between the Ravens and the Ridgebacks, they would end up fourth and fifth in the conference respectively.
With the news coming in, both teams were able to rest some of their first-string players and get a look at some younger players and what could be the future of their respective programs.
“I think it was a good opportunity for some of the younger guys to get experience before playoffs,” fourth-year defender Michael Reynolds said.
Despite the match ending up as more of a formality, both teams came out aggressive and looked to create chances as the two sides combined for 21 shots throughout the match.
Neither team could find the back of the net until the 85th minute of play, when Lee-Victor Massunda was able to put the Ridgebacks ahead and silence the home fans.
Despite their best efforts the Ravens were unable to tie the game before the final whistle.
Reynolds said the match was important despite it having no impact on standings.
“I think we were fortunate to be able to get a look at [UOIT] before we play them in playoffs,” he said. “We need to tighten up defensively. . . but overall I like our chances.”
After the weekend play, the Ravens have finished the season 9-4-3 and are fourth in the OUA East. They will take on the Ridgebacks again at home on Oct. 22.
