The diameter of a crossbar in soccer is usually 10 to 12 centimeters—the same diameter of a standard drink coaster. But for the Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team on Sunday afternoon, 10 centimeters is how close they came to winning their first U Sports national championship.
The Ravens had their first trip to the national title game in 19 years after a rollicking, topsy-turvy journey in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Carleton ultimately lost on penalty kicks to the University of Montreal Carabins on home turf.
The last penalty kick belonged to U Sports Player of the Year Guy-Frank Essome Penda, who struck a shot off the crossbar. It bounced into the back of the net, sealing Montreal as 2021 U Sports champions.
Had Essome Penda’s shot been just a few centimetres higher, Carleton may have made history.
Sunday marked the Ravens’ third opportunity to win a national championship after making the title game in 1984 and 2002. For Carleton head coach Kwesi Loney, who captained the Ravens in 2002, this year’s final offered the opportunity to win the only match he has never won.
“For me, it was the last time I was able to put the jersey on for my school,” Loney said. “I wish they didn’t have to feel what I felt. I wish their experience was different.”
The Ravens scored the opening goal in the 19th minute. Ravens midfielder Luca Piccioli crossed the ball across the face of the goal to Matteo de Brienne, who tapped it in.
“Kwesi did a fantastic job preparing his team,” Carabins head coach Pat Raimondo said. “They were very good. Their game plan was good. I think he got it right.”
For a large majority of the game, Loney did get it right. The Ravens rode their 1-0 lead for the rest of the first half and deep into the second, but in the 90th minute, memories of 2002—when Carleton lost to Brock in extra time—came rushing back.
On a free-kick 23 yards away from Carleton’s goal line, Carabins midfielder Quentin Paumier curled a right-footed strike into the left-top corner, past Ravens keeper Kyle Potter.
Ravens Perch was silenced. Only a handful of Carabins fans who made the trip from Montreal could be heard. The banging drum, stomping feet and waving flares of Carleton fans had suddenly dissipated.
The Ravens had been only a few minutes away from fulfilling the 39-year-old dream of the men’s soccer program. But after controlling most of the game before Paumier’s goal, the Ravens had to fight through extra time.
Nine yellow cards were given out in the game, four of which went to the Montreal coaching staff. One staff member received a red card. But the 30 minutes of extra time brought on a whole new set of emotions.
Montreal’s Julien Bruce scored a go-ahead goal in the 114th minute of the game. Suddenly, the Carabins had gone from being down 1-0 to up 2-1. They were six minutes away from winning the championship.
“This group of boys … they don’t get distracted,” Raimondo said. “I am so impressed with their maturity.”
In disbelief and desperation, the Ravens kept pushing. In the 120th minute, as the seconds ticked away, Carleton threw everything they had at Montreal.
With their last chance to save the dying breaths of a memorable season, Ravens forward Daniel Assaf threw himself towards the ball and scored with the last kick of the game.
To overtime. To sudden death. The roller coaster of emotions—from being moments away from winning to moments from losing—delivered yet again.
The first three rounds of the penalty shootout were flawless. Carleton’s Gabriel Bitar, Piccioli and Dario Conte scored their three penalties with ease, as did Montreal’s Kareem Sow, Adam Benmoussa and Mohammed-Bader Labrouji.
Benmoussa nearly missed his penalty when Potter appeared to save the initial shot, but the spin of the ball caused it to tail back into the net.
The fourth round of penalties was met with heartbreak when Ricky Comba saw his penalty go wide of the post.
The fate of Carleton’s season then rested with Potter. Essome Penda stepped up, struck the ball off of the crossbar, turned around and raised his arms. The Carabins were champions for the second time in three years.
“What we are doing is not normal,” Raimondo said. “To do four finals in a row, to have 14 league titles [when] we’ve only been there for 20 years … It’s not normal to do what we’re doing.”
Loney said he was proud of his players, especially the rookie class of 2017, many of whom are graduating and have played their final games as Ravens.
“The game doesn’t define them. I hope they take these moments and use them as life lessons and they apply them,” Loney said. “The resiliency we showed is something they can carry forward for the rest of their life.”
After the game, as fans streamed for the exits to avoid the sight of Montreal’s dogpile on the field, the feeling of missed opportunity hung in the air.
For the University of Montreal, Essome Penda is a name that will be sung for years to come. For Carleton, Essome Penda is a name that will haunt the Ravens forever.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
