“Déjà vu” may be the best phrase to describe this season for Carleton’s men’s water polo team. After a heartbreaking loss to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in the 2009 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships, the Ravens were looking for revenge in this year’s finals. The team wrapped up the regular season with a 7-2-1 record, and was on its way to the OUA championships after a close 8-7 win against McMaster University in the semifinals. With redemption in sight, the Ravens met the Varsity Blues in the finals once again, only to suffer a devastating14-4 loss.
Grade: A-
Women’s Water Polo
The Carleton women’s water polo team’s 2009-10 season was nothing less than impressive. Like the men’s water polo team, the lady Ravens settled for silver at the 2009 OUA championships, losing to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 13-9. This loss ended the team’s two-year reign as OUA champs. Intent on winning back their OUA title this year, the Ravens rallied to end regular season with a perfect 8-0 record. The team advanced to the OUA championships, and narrowly defeated the Varsity Blues 6-5 in final-game action. With this victory, the Ravens captured their third OUA title in four years.
Grade: A+
Men’s Soccer
This was a re-building year for the Carleton men’s soccer team. Both injury trouble and graduating players plagued the Ravens’ bench at the end of last season, so new players were brought in to fill the gaps. In spite of a young team, the Ravens ended the regular season with a respectable 7-5-2 record. The team advanced to the OUA Final Four after an upset win against Queen’s University, but the Ravens’ quest for the championship title ended with a 3-1 loss in penalty kicks to McMaster. The Ravens ended their playoff run just short of a bronze medal, losing to the University of Western Ontario Mustangs 3-2 in their second-straight penalty kick loss.
Grade: B+
Women’s Soccer
The Carleton women’s soccer team was unable to bounce back from a controversial start to its 2009-10 season. After being handed a two-game suspension for a rookie initiation incident, the team struggled to rack up victories, ending the regular season with a 6-8-2 record. In the postseason, the Ravens were eliminated in the semifinals, losing 3-1 to the top-seeded Queen’s University. The loss marked Carleton’s fifth straight OUA East semi-final appearance, as well as the first time that the Ravens did not advance to the OUA Final Four.
Grade: B-
Golf
Carleton’s golf program started off its 2009 season with a new leader. Former Ravens golfer David Williams, whose goal was to improve the team’s overall sixth-place finish in 2008, was named the new head coach of the men’s golf team. What remained the same for the program was the presence of star golfer Humphrey Yeung, who anchored the team this season. The men’s team improved in all of its invitational finishes, most notably coming in third at the 2009 Guelph Invitational in comparison to last year’s 10th place finish. On the women’s side, the team saw improvement in two of its invitational finishes, coming in fifth at the Guelph Invitational and sixth at the Waterloo Invitational.
Grade: B+
Swimming
Improvement was this year’s theme for Carleton’s swim team. Going into the 2010 OUA championships, the Ravens were looking to improve upon their 2009 scores. As was hoped, both the men’s and women’s teams improved. The men’s team obtained 30 points, 15 more than what it achieved in 2009, while the women’s team scored 61 points, 16 more than last year. Individual achievements also highlighted the Ravens’ OUA championship run, as the team completed the meet with 34 best times. Despite the improvements, the Ravens were still held off the podium with two 12th place finishes.
Grade: B