The Carleton Ravens women’s soccer team hustled out a 1-1 draw against defending Ontario University Athletics (OUA) champions Queen’s University Gaels on Sept. 3. Carleton displayed a solid defensive performance at Richardson Stadium in its first match of the season.
The Ravens and Gaels will take one point a piece, more than the Ravens picked up against the Gaels last season when they lost by a cumulative 7-0 over the span of two games.
Ravens’ head coach Dom Oliveri praised his team before the game in a pre-match interview with the Charlatan.
“We’ve worked really hard on implementing a [slightly] different style of play than what we have [played] in the past,” Oliveri said. “We do have a more veteran group this year … although [the] majority of our players are generally between second and third year.”
Oliveri added the team has improved from last season and is looking to demonstrate it to the rest of the league.
Friday’s defensive display was an example of this. The Ravens set up a low-block defence that sat back and clogged the middle of Queen’s attacking third. While the Gaels were able to create some chances they were unable to capitalize on most of their efforts.
Carleton, on the other hand, had no problem finishing what came their way. The Ravens opened the scoring at the 60-minute mark with their only shot-on-target of the match.
The Ravens’ defensive game plan limited the Gaels’ chances but Carleton keeper Chloe Lachance-Soula had to make six saves of the Gaels’ seven shots-on-goal. The only shot that managed to pass Lachance-Soula was the Gaels’ 79th minute equalizing goal.
The Ravens put up 10 points last season and missed out on a playoff spot with their 2-4-4 record. Friday’s result is a positive sign of a step in the right direction for the Ravens, who lost 5-0 at home to Queen’s last year and 2-0 on the road.
The Ravens will play again on Sept. 11 against the Royal Military College of Canada at TAAG Park.
Featured image by Spencer Colby
