Despite putting up a spirited effort, the Carleton Ravens men’s lacrosse team was stymied by the Brock Badgers Nov. 6 in the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) semifinals, losing by a score of 9-8. With the loss, Carleton’s hopes of capturing the Baggataway Cup were put to sleep.
“We just didn’t get the bounces when we needed them,” explained Ravens attack Corey Fowler, who scored two goals and two assists in the game. “We had our chances, hit a few posts, and guys who were clutch for us all year missed a few opportunities.”
The defending champion Badgers, meanwhile, were firing from all all cylinders and doing it well. Ten different players, including long-stick middle Clark Robinson and defender Jeff Easby, found the score sheet.
Despite the loss, the Ravens got off to a good start, as midfielder Curtis Singleton opened the scoring with a bounce shot past Brock goaltender Ian Duffy. By the end of the first quarter, the score stood at 4-1 for Carleton.
From then on, though, the Badgers put on the pressure in both the offensive and defensive ends. A three-goal second quarter knotted the game up at four, and the back-and-forth tilt closed with a heartbreaking defeat for the Ravens, who traveled to St. Michael’s College School in Toronto, Ont. for the game.
“This is the best we’ve done since the league started,” Ravens team president Steven Carswell said.
“Obviously, we’re a bit disappointed that we didn’t make the finals for a chance to win the cup.”
Carswell also commended his players for a job well done, adding that he was very happy with the team’s results this year.
“I give a lot of credit to Brock’s [defense],” Fowler added. “They played us tough.”
Indeed, they did.
The Badgers defence did a great job of shutting down several key players for the Ravens, including attacker Tim Bergin, who had found the score sheet in every game this season prior to this one.
They weren’t able to successfully defend their title, however, as the Badgers fell 11-10 to McMaster in the championship final Nov. 7.