After a strong defensive game against McMaster the previous week, the Ravens football team’s offence kicked it into high gear against the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks on Sept. 9.
Quarterback Michael Arruda bounced back from a difficult performance, going 27 for 51 with 441 yards of passing.
Laurier was the first to strike, jumping out to a 7-0 lead off a big 73-yard pass by quarterback Michael Knevel to receiver Daniel Bennet. A subsequent rush into the end zone put the lead into Laurier’s hands.
On the next Carleton drive, the fumble troubles started for Carleton, and the Ravens lost the ball to Laurier. The Golden Hawks then took only five plays before rushing it into the end zone, doubling their lead to 14-0. Within the first five minutes, the Ravens already found themselves in a deep hole.
But Carleton got up and struck back with their own big play—a 68-yard pass by Arruda to third-year receiver Phil Iloki to get themselves on the board.
The Ravens would then force a team safety and the Golden Hawks kicked a field goal to close out the first quarter at 17-9 for Laurier.
The second quarter started to tighten up for both teams defensively, with no big plays like in the first quarter being allowed by either team.
Carleton would strike first, forcing another team safety and a field goal, bringing the score up 17-14 for Laurier. To close out the half, Laurier would strike right back with a safety and field goal of their own, closing out the half with a score of 22-14.
The third quarter saw the worst quarter of play for the Ravens, as they were shut out by the stifling Laurier defense. Laurier used this time to press down on Carleton and widen the gap on the Ravens, scoring another touchdown and field goal to bring the score up to 32-14.
In the fourth, the Ravens kicked and brought out some quick offense, getting a touchdown in the first 10 minutes on another long pass by Arruda, who gave a 50-yard pass to the end zone for wide receiver Quinton Soares.
The offence, pushing the ball more and more, started to pass the ball more, a noticeable difference from the varied offence that they usually play.
Laurier quickly answered back with a field goal a couple of minutes later. The play remained locked at 35-21 until the Golden Hawks were able to push for their final score of the game, a 16-yard field goal from kicker Nathan Mesher, to bring the score up to 38-21.
The Ravens, in ‘hurry-up’ mode, marched down the field in under two minutes in order to score another touchdown and show a sign of life. On the next Laurier drive, Carleton forced a crucial two and out in order to get the ball back giving up only nine yards in 24 seconds.
Following the punt, the Ravens once again came down the field in a hurry to score another touchdown with six seconds left in the game.
“We simply ran out of time,” said Ravens head coach Steve Sumarah.
The Ravens once again had over 100 yards in penalties for the second week in a row, giving up a lot of yards to a very talented team, who made sure to make the Ravens pay for the lack of discipline shown.
The final score of the game was a close 38-35, with the Ravens falling to the defending Yates Cup champions. The game marked the Ravens’ second loss in two weeks, following a 23-9 loss to the McMaster Marauders.
The Ravens’ next game will be Sept. 16 against the Waterloo Warriors at home for the annual homecoming game.
