Over the past weekend, the Gaels made the short trip down to RMC, and returned with a 2-1 victory — their first win of the OUA season.
The Gaels entered this match against the RMC Paladins with confidence, but also knew that the rivalry between these two Kingston teams wasn’t something to take lightly.
The match started off well for Queen’s with a goal within the 20-minute mark from striker Jacob Schroeter. Their lead would not hold though, as RMC defender Graeme Curran soon tied everything up.
Gaels centre back Conor Hannigan said his team’s play was inconsistent for much of the period following the Paladins’ goal.
“The goal stolen back by RMC for some reason shook us up a bit, and so we struggled to remain composed and patient,” Hannigan said. “Instead of remaining calm with the ball, we made a few silly mistakes.”
Although the Gaels weren’t performing at their full potential, they kept up the pressure.
“We kept the RMC keeper, Tobin Semple, on his toes,” Hannigan said.
“We continuously tested him with several shots, but were unable to break him down. We were unlucky to not have scored another goal or two.”
Finally, at the 76th minute the Gaels broke the deadlock, as fullback Kristian Zanette slotted in a penalty to give Queen’s the go-ahead goal, which would be the deciding score of the contest.
Hannigan had high praise for Zanette’s play and fellow fullback Liam Scullion, who set up Schroeter’s goal. Scullion, a first-year student from Ottawa, earned his first start for the team, and showed great strides according to Hannigan.
The Gaels face U of T and Ryerson on Sept. 19 and 20, both away games that will surely test the team. Their last two games against these teams came with mixed emotions, as U of T beat the Gaels firmly 3-0, while Ryerson scored an 80th minute equalizer that resulted in a 1-1 draw.
Hannigan said he’s confident that the Gaels will improve on previous results against the Toronto sides.
“We know what Toronto brings to the table: a strong team who always have a game plan. We saw last time we played that it’s effective, but that our own mistakes cost us the match,” Hannigan said. “We also know that [Ryerson] are one of the strongest teams in the country, but we’re ready.”
Tags
Gaels, Hannigan, Men’s Soccer, RMC, Schroeter, Zanette
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