The Carleton Ravens rugby team narrowly lost to the University of Montreal Carabins on the road Sept. 20.
Just like in previous games, they got off to a fast start, according to Ravens winger Natasha Smith.
“Our team always tries to set the tone right off the bat. Our coaches structured an effective warm-up that gets us in to game mode before the game had began, and it allows us to catch our opposition off guard,” she said.
The Ravens managed to force the Carabins defence to take a penalty early on, giving the Ravens a scoring opportunity. From the lineout Claire Traversa got the ball to Ingrid Krausbar who scored the first try of the game for the Ravens. Bailey Dean converted the kick giving them a 7-0 lead.
The rest of the half, the Ravens found themselves playing a defensive game. They allowed the Carabins a try, making it a 7-7 tie.
The second half started with the Ravens controlling the game, when Smith managed to intercept a Carabins pass, giving the Ravens a 14-7 lead, which they held onto for much of the half.
The pressure the Carabins were applying began to show within the 10-minute mark of the half.
The Ravens were on defence against Carabins attacks for eight minutes straight after that, and in the final minute of play the Carabins managed to score a game-winning try. The score read 15-14 for the Carabins by the end of the game, and the Ravens fell to 1-3.
Smith said the Ravens were sloppy at times, which led directly to the loss.
“Regardless of the game, we always need to work on our basic skills. Basic as in passing, catching, and tackling—little aspects of the game that can make the biggest difference,” she said.
Despite the loss, Smith said the Ravens showed definite improvement from past games this season.
“Our team has definitely improved week-to-week. On Mondays we address aspects of previous games that went well and aspects that we need to work on. We then use our findings as a building block for where we want to be for the next game and discuss how we get there,” she said.
Smith said she is still optimistic about the remainder of the season.
“I believe that our group of players have the skill and attitude to bounce back from the unfortunate loss last weekend. The focus has been on for our sessions thus far for the week, and we want to continue that momentum before heading to Laval this coming weekend,” she said.
The Ravens’ next game is in Quebec City against the Laval Rouge et Or on Sept. 28.
