The Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team remains undefeated this season following back-to-back wins over the Queen’s Gaels on Sept. 8 and 10 in a home-and-home series.
Sept. 8: Richardson Stadium
In the first match of the doubleheader weekend, the Ravens defeated the Gaels in dramatic fashion with a last-minute winner.
Carleton looked comfortable through the first 20 minutes, keeping the Gaels almost exclusively in their own half with an impressive defensive structure. Instead of pressing the Gaels’ back line, the Ravens congested their opposition’s passing lanes and forced mistakes, looking to capitalize when winning back the ball.
The Ravens played fluidly with the ball, overwhelming Gaels defenders with quick passes and rapid off-ball movement. Wingers Eric Yoseke and Amadou Koné stretched the pitch and created space in the middle of the field.
The game remained scoreless with just three minutes left in the half when a high clearance by Ravens midfielder Kevin Kaba was struck down by Gaels forward Jason Cho. Cho set up midfielder Pablo Hempelmann-Perez for the opening goal.
Heading into the second half trailing 1-0, Carleton responded with intensity.
With a flurry of direct passes, the Ravens moved up the right side of the field until defender Raphaël Garcia found Yoseke, who beat the Gaels goalkeeper with a near-post finish.
The teams crossed the 90-minute mark tied as cheers from the vocal Queen’s crowd intensified.
In a last-minute attack, Ravens midfielder Luca Piccioli found an unmarked Anthony Domanico with a cross, who finished the play with his first touch. As soon as the ball crossed the line, his teammates on and off the field rushed to meet the shirtless goalscorer at the corner flag.
The Ravens returned to the field with defensive fervor and despite a late push from the Gaels, the game ended with a hard-earned 2-1 Ravens victory.
Sept. 10: TAAG Park
The Ravens seemed to have figured out the Gaels’ strategy coming off their previous matchup, as they cruised to a 4-1 win at home.
At the outset, the Ravens’ domination was more apparent than in the last game. The home team launched successive attacks against the Gaels, whose build-up play was repeatedly interrupted in its early stages.
Ravens head coach Marcelo Plada said his team focused on starting the game stronger, cutting down on unforced errors and increasing the speed of play.
“[On Friday] the movement of the ball was too slow, which was more to the liking of Queen’s,” Plada said.
The Ravens responded to Plada’s comments, dominating the Gaels early on with quicker ball movement.
Domanico gave the Gaels’ defence a headache early in the game. With every opportunity, the nimble winger beat the defenders with ease.
In the 17th minute of the game, Domanico flicked the ball through the legs of a Gaels defender and onto the foot of striker Mohammed Bouzidi, who laid the ball off to Piccioli. Piccioli threaded the ball to Garcia who played a grounded pass across the goal, which was finished by Bouzidi.
Plada praised Domanico’s play.
“He’s got the energy, he’s got the speed,” Plada said. “He played tremendous today.”
Domanico said he felt he had a “field day” with the Gaels’ right-back.
Named Ravens athlete of the week, Domanico was confident in his performance on Sunday, where he was able to use his dominant left foot on the wing.
“I felt I utilized my speed way more this game with the coaching staff telling me to push it down the line,” Domanico said. “Last game, I was coming inside. I’m left foot-dominant, so they told me ‘just go down the line, you’ll beat him.’”
Following Domanico’s marker, the Ravens kept piling on the pressure.
In the 27th minute, after beating the Gaels’ fullback, Domanico was fouled at the top of the 18-yard box. Piccioli stepped up to take the free kick and beat the keeper with a curling ball over the wall, putting the Ravens up 2-0 heading into the final half.
With the second half underway, it was as if a fire was lit under the Gaels. They put the Ravens on their heels as they were repeatedly forced to defend the Gaels’ attacks.
Less than five minutes into the half, Gaels midfielder Jadon Lashley found the head of forward Matthew Ciavarro, who nodded the ball past Ravens goalkeeper Tyler David.
The goal shook the Ravens back into shape and in the 68th minute, Piccioli halted the Gaels’ momentum with yet another free-kick goal. From 25 yards out, he put the ball over the wall and into the bottom corner of the net.
The game was sealed in the 89th minute when striker Dewyn Viegas netted the Ravens’ fourth goal with a composed bottom-right corner finish, assisted by Yoseke.
With a 4-1 victory, Carleton completed the weekend sweep, taking all six available points from the Gaels.
‘Leave everything on the pitch’
Only three games into the season, Plada said he is pleased with his team’s performances, but some tweaks are still necessary.
Plada said he has been implementing a style called “relationism,” a more fluid style of play that allows players to respond better to the play by shifting from their designated position.
This style was evident in Sunday’s game, as defenders Moses Kafeero and Garcia were often far up the pitch in positions that a traditional defender would not be in.
Despite a perfect nine points in three games, Plada said he isn’t looking too far into the future.
“It’s one step at a time,” he said. “I’m expecting the guys to grind out wins, battle it out and leave everything on the pitch.”
The Ravens will look to stay perfect on the season during another double-fixture weekend when they host the Nipissing Lakers on Sept. 16 and the Laurentian Voyageurs on Sept. 17.
Featured image by Marc Lafleur.
