The Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team won both games this past weekend, winning 2-1 against University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks and 3-1 against Trent Excalibur.
UOIT started the game off with a goal two minutes in as Carleton’s defensive core failed to clear the ball.
“Our first half was not that great,” said veteran defenceman Michael Calof.
Despite the slow start, the Ravens managed to pick up their play.
“In the second half our team gelled and all of our players stepped up,” Calof said.
The Ravens were able to rally back as Andrew Bryan capitalized on this momentum shift. The team’s leading goal scorer was able to give Carleton the win with two back-to-back goals. The final score of the game was 2-1 for Carleton.
The next day the Ravens traveled from Scarborough to take on Trent in Peterborough.
The Ravens carried their momentum from the previous game and dominated the first half.
Mekonen Lovemore-White pushed through the Trent defence and scored, giving Carleton the early lead. Only two minutes later Tim Campos received a pass from Julien Piccioli and was able to put it past the Trent keeper. Carleton’s defence held strong and the Ravens finished the first half 2-0.
In the second half, Carleton was able to capitalize on a free kick, with Daniel Saladini scoring his first goal of the season. Trent then scored in the dying minutes of the game to stop the shut out of first-year goalkeeper David Monk. The game finished with a score of 3-1 for Carleton.
“We had a successful weekend,” said coach Sandy Mackie. “We’re looking forward to our upcoming playoff game and hope we can keep this momentum going into the playoffs.”
The team will play Nipissing University in their first playoff game.
“We are approaching the playoffs with a positive attitude,” Mackie said. “The key is to work hard. We are fortunate enough to be here so we have to earn every single game.”
“The playoffs are always difficult,” Mackie said. “We just need to execute what we have been working on all season.”
The Ravens finished the season with a record of eight wins, two losses, and six draws. The Ravens ended the regular season in fourth place and as one of the top defensive teams in the Canadian Interuniversity Sports, only allowing 13 goals in 16 games.
