The Carleton Ravens women’s soccer team ended their weekend on a high with a huge win, defeating the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Paladins 9-0 on Sunday and earning a 1-1 draw on Friday.
Sunday’s win was the highest goal differential for the team since at least 2009, as well as the most goals in a single game over that span. Online Ontario University Athletics (OUA) records are only available dating back to the 2009 season.
Both teams entered the weekend tied at the bottom of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East standings, with Carleton earning its first win of the season.
Friday: 1-1 draw
RMC got their first and only shot on goal seven minutes into the game, beating the goalkeeper and giving the Paladins an early lead.
Eighteen minutes later, the Ravens struck back as Raquel Costa Correia scored Carleton’s first goal of the season. Carleton would continue to press to no avail, with the game ending in a draw. Carleton outshot RMC 17-2.
Head coach Dom Oliveri said the field conditions at RMC were not ideal, making the game challenging, but the team felt it was one they should have won.
“We’re a young team. We’re learning how to play in the league,” Oliveri said. “We’re building for the future.”
Oliveri said Carleton practiced Sunday morning and afternoon. With a focus on finishing goals, the Ravens hoped they could put shots in the net in the second game.
Sunday: 9-0 Carleton win
The rainy Sunday afternoon game started in a similar fashion to Friday’s, with Carleton controlling the play. RMC had one shot early in the game but put it wide of the net.
Carleton scored their first goal with a full team play 23 minutes in and never looked back.
Defender Stella Oliver took the ball from her own box and sent a hard pass up to forward Lauren Illman, who nudged the ball with a nifty backheel to a running Taylor Saunders. Saunders crossed into the top of the box where forward Chloe Doherty took one touch and nailed it under the arm of the RMC goaltender.
It was Carleton’s first lead of the season and only their second goal after being blanked in their first two games.
Minutes later, Costa Correia sent a leading ball to a barely-onside Doherty. Leaving the defenders behind her, Doherty took the keeper on and sent a hard shot into the right side of the net.
The two connected again a few minutes later when Costa Correia threaded a pass through three RMC defenders to fall at the feet of a running Doherty. Again, she buried the ball with a calm strike, earning a hat trick at only the 37th minute.
With a comfortable lead, Doherty and Costa Correia sat out of the second half. Doherty said the game was a bounceback from a tough game on Friday.
“I was just obviously frustrated with myself with all the chances I had Friday and I just knew I had to finish them today,” Doherty said.
Doherty gave credit for her success to her teammates.
“Our midfielders are awesome at finding those gaps for us up front,” Doherty said.
Even without Doherty and Costa Correia in the second half, Carleton continued to lay on the pressure.
The ball continued to bounce in all the wrong ways for Ravens striker Illman as she came close to scoring time and time again. Finally breaking through, she beat her defender with a cutback and finished with a pretty strike.
Forward Martina Milito would score Carleton’s fifth goal off another beautiful ball forward from the midfield.
That’s where things started to fall apart for RMC. Carleton’s Ghalia Hammada scored off a bad touch by the RMC keeper, then Selena Moussa finished off a cross that trickled through a crowded box. Melissa Balachorek put in a ball the keeper had dropped and Hammada scored the ninth goal of the day with a shot that went right through the keepers’ hands.
When all was said and done, the Ravens had put up a 9-0 thumping, posting the highest the goal differential and most goals in a game since at least 2009, surpassing an 8-0 win against Trent University in 2013.
“Today was just the outcome of all the work we’ve been doing over the last six weeks,” Oliveri said. “It came together in one good performance for us.”
After the game, players were ecstatic and relieved. It was Carleton’s first win since September 2019, a season during which they scored only nine goals in 14 games. Now, in just one game, they matched their 2019 total.
Oliveri noted how important the win was.
“They were really disappointed by Friday,” Oliveri said. “The bus ride home was silent for two and a half hours. They understood that it was a game they should have won. They wanted to come back today with a statement and credit to them.”
The momentum gained from this weekend will be important for the Ravens, as they head across town to take on the uOttawa Gee-Gees on Oct. 9. The Gee-Gees are tied for first in the OUA East and have won all three games they’ve played this season, representing a challenge for Carleton.
High on the win, Doherty is eager to take on the crosstown rivals.
“Those games are always so much fun and we’re super ready for it,” Doherty said.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
