It was the matchup they prepared for but not the outcome they wanted.
The Carleton Ravens water polo team lost 15-9 to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) final on Saturday, falling short of gold for the fifth year in a row.
The Ravens and Varsity Blues have combined to win the last 16 OUA championships, but with the victory, Toronto has now earned every title since 2016. Carleton knew the challenge it would face in the final but just missed gold.
“Every year is a fight with these guys,” Ravens head coach Zoltan Csepregi said. “They’ve got so much depth and so many talented players.”
This is Carleton’s second consecutive season winning silver after a 12-9 loss to Toronto in 2019.
Toronto was unstoppable in the OUA qualifiers, beating the McMaster Marauders 17-4 before demolishing the Western Mustangs 28-1. The matchup against Western was over as fast as it began, with the Varsity Blues going up 16-0 by halftime.
In contrast, Saturday was a death by a thousand cuts for the Ravens. They ended the first period down 4-3 and the second period trailing 8-5, keeping the game within reach heading into the second half.
Toronto appeared to pull away in the first minutes of the third period, scoring three unanswered goals and dominating possession. But Carleton woke up in the final three minutes, with David Lapins, a former member of the Canadian national team and OUA Athlete of the Week, scoring twice.
Lapins led the Ravens with five goals. Csepregi praised Lapins for his work ethic and leadership.
“In the water, it’s a big difference,” Csepregi said. “But more [important is] having him in the locker room, encouraging the guys on the side of the pool. The kids know what it takes … outside of the water in order to be successful in the water and David brings that.”
A buzzer-beater from Toronto’s Bruno Marunica from behind the half distance line ended the third period with the Varsity Blues up 12-8.
Facing the final eight minutes of their season, Carleton scored only one goal to Toronto’s two.
Csepregi said the Ravens didn’t put enough pressure on Toronto’s shooters and missed the offensive opportunities they had. This was the difference in a game that could’ve been decided in the final period.
The Ravens missed their 2020 season due to the cancellation of university sports in Canada. With many athletes playing together for the first time, Csepregi said the team lost some of its chemistry from previous years.
Still, despite the disappointing end to Carleton’s season, Csepregi is already looking forward to next year’s finals.
“We need to make a couple changes to get to that next level so that we can compete,” Csepregi said. “We’ll continue to fight for that championship.”
Featured image provided by Valerie Wutti/Carleton Athletics.
