The Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team secured a spot in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Final Four after a commanding 4-1 victory over the visiting Laurentian Voyageurs Oct. 30 at Keith Harris Stadium.
The teams traded chances early on before settling into what would be a very entertaining match.
But the Ravens dominated the game from the start, creating numerous scoring chances while playing a strong defensive game.
“We were very happy with the start we got,” said Ravens striker Andrew Latty. “We started out a little slow but we had a lot of opportunities.”
The Ravens got on the board first with Latty capitalizing on a loose ball on the goal line in the 23rd minute. The Voyageurs continued to press late into the half, but they couldn’t solve the Ravens’ back line.
The Ravens continued to control the play from the outset of the second half, shutting down Laurentian offense on numerous occasions.
Things didn’t get much easier for the visiting Voyageurs, as striker Davor Alisic received a red card for colliding with Ravens goalkeeper Mark Krocko on a late challenge. Despite being down a man, the Voyageurs kept up the attack and tied the game, with forward Andrew Posteraro calmly kicking the ball past a sprawling Krocko in the 65th minute.
The shift in momentum was short-lived, with Ravens midfielder Sam McHugh beating Voyageurs goalkeeper Matt George with a low shot not even two minutes after the equalizer.
“When they tied it up, they should have never been in the game in the first place,” Latty said. “We kept applying our pressure and they couldn’t handle our speed and passing. It was just inevitable that we were going to score.”
From that point on, the Ravens dominated all areas of the play, looking to close out the game in a controlling fashion. After an extended spell in Laurentian territory, the Ravens went up 3-1 with striker Caki Simrooglu bouncing a shot just inside the left goalpost in the 80th minute.
Simrooglu struck again five minutes later when his low shot was mishandled by George on the goal line. With Simrooglu’s insurance marker, the Ravens cruised to a 4-1 victory in the OUA quarter-final.
Ravens assistant coach Kwesi Loney said he was very pleased with his team’s effort in their first playoff match of the year.
“You always want to keep improving from game to game,” Loney said. “You go from playing [the University of Toronto Varsity Blues Oct. 22], losing that, then come from behind to beat Ryerson in the second game [Oct. 23]. That shows a lot of character, a lot of heart.”
As much as the team is proud of their victory, Loney said his squad is already focused on the games ahead.
“We’ve had a successful season thus far, and a good start to our playoff run. We want to keep things simple,” he said. “We need to keep the guys focused, and stay hungry.”
The Ravens will face the McMaster Marauders Nov. 5 in the OUA semifinals at Keith Harris Stadium.
