For the first time in 19 years, the Carleton Ravens are heading to the U Sports men’s soccer national championship gold medal game after winning 3-2 in extra time against the Cape Breton University Capers in the semifinal Saturday night.
Carleton has been on the brink of the national title game for years, finishing fourth in the nation in 2019 and third in 2018. But the Ravens haven’t played in the gold medal game since 2002 and have never won a national championship in men’s soccer.
“It’s surreal,” said Ravens head coach Kwesi Loney, who was a player on the 2002 team. “It’s a great opportunity to share this moment with our student body, with our community. It’s a great moment for our city.”
While a packed house of rowdy Ravens alumni were present for the game, Cape Breton had their own cheering section adorned with the neon orange of the Capers.
Unlike Carleton’s timid opening minutes against the University of British Columbia in the quarterfinals, the Ravens started the semifinal on their front foot, pressuring the Capers early on.
Carleton’s high press rewarded them in the 32nd minute. A forced turnover off a Capers’ throw-in allowed Ravens midfielder Scott Mazzotta to gain possession and feed the ball to striker Gabriel Bitar. Bitar made a sharp cut onto his right foot outside the box and unleashed a screamer of a strike that curled into the top left corner of the Capers’ net.
It wasn’t long before Carleton added another goal, this time right before the half. A long ball found Ravens winger Matteo de Brienne in the 18-yard box, who flicked the ball onto a Cape Breton defender’s hand, earning a controversial penalty. Midfielder Dario Conte took the kick and converted the penalty off the post and into the back of the net.
Capers head coach Deano Morley said he was frustrated with the officiating of the game, especially that penalty.
“The referee had a moment of madness … It was never a penalty,” Morley said. “The game was way above the officials tonight.”
The second half got off on a sour note for the Ravens. De Brienne, who had been on the receiving end of rough tackles throughout the first half, took another that appeared to injure his right shoulder and end his game. De Brienne was subbed back on later on in the match but was still clearly injured.
Carleton continued to dominate the second half until Cape Breton scored late in the 88th minute. Forward Cian Lynch converted a crossed-in free kick that caught the Ravens back line sleeping, flipping the game on its head.
In added time with the Ravens only minutes away from the finals, the Capers put everything in question when they tied the game. Caper Charlie Waters’s corner kick curled towards the far post and over the head of goalkeeper Kyle Potter, sending the game to overtime.
While Ravens fans had celebrated earlier in the game by flapping their arms, the Capers and their fans mocked the celebration by adopting it as their own.
MSOC: Charlie Waters scores in final moments tying it 2-2 against @CURavens
Charlie Waters score en finale moments et match @CURavens 2-2 pic.twitter.com/mtReevM3Fh
— U SPORTS Soccer (@USPORTS_Soccer) November 20, 2021
“A program like Cape Breton—they’re never out until the game is over,” Loney said. “To play them, you have to play 90 [minutes]. In our case we had to play 120 minutes because they’re never gonna go away.”
Although the first 15 minutes of extra time were scoreless, it was anything but uneventful.
Bitar picked up a yellow card and moments later got involved in a minor confrontation with a Capers player in front of the Cape Breton bench.
The referee seemed ready to issue a second yellow for Bitar but instead had a stern and expressive talk with him. The choice to not book Bitar resulted in an outburst from Morley, who got the yellow card instead.
In the 107th minute, Conte delivered a free kick that was headed twice before Ravens midfielder Ricky Comba sealed Cape Breton’s fate, bringing the ball down with his chest and striking a volley into the top corner.
“When [Ricky] scored that goal, I was thinking, we got to defend,” Loney said. “That was the first thing that went through my head.”
With a 3-2 lead, Carleton defended the remaining 13 minutes. As the final whistle rang out, the Ravens dropped to the ground in disbelief. Fans stormed the pitch and Comba was Carleton’s hero.
“That’s our captain. Ricky bleeds Carleton,” Loney said. “From day one he’s been that constant guy who’s always been there for us.”
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
