Men’s soccer just couldn’t seem to get it going this past weekend as they suffered a 3-0 home loss to the Carleton Ravens.
The Gaels, who headed into Saturday’s matchup on a two game win streak, put the pressure on the Ravens for most of the first half.
Although Carleton came into the game undefeated, men’s soccer captain Jacob Schroeter maintained the Gaels were unfazed prior to kick-off.
“For the first 45 minutes we exploited some of their key areas,” Schroeter said, referring again to the team’s understanding of Carleton’s potential defensive susceptibilities.
Unfortunately, a 41st minute corner for the away side resulted in a 1-0 lead for Carleton.
“They capitalized on their opportunity late in the first half,” he continued, with Carleton’s first goal “resulting in some alterations to [our] lineup and the lowering of our confidence going into the second 45.”
It was something the Gaels couldn’t come back from.
In the second half, things continued to go the Ravens way. With momentum on their side, the visitors scored two goals in two minutes — in the 64th and 66th minutes respectively – going up 3-0 and all but securing themselves a victory.
“We were well aware of [Carleton’s] strengths and weaknesses coming into the game,” Schroeter said after the loss, adding the team always knew the Ravens were a tough opponent.”
In the second half, Queen’s was outshot 11-4.
After four games this year, the Gaels sit at 2-2, good for fourth in the OUA East.
With a young roster, Schroeter said growing pains are just part of a team’s development. This season’s roster boasts 13 players – over half their 23-man roster – who are entering their second or first year at Queen’s. By contrast, last season’s 28-man roster consisted of 17 upper-year players.
“As a young team there will always be doubt concerning our mental fortitude and experience,” the fourth-year player admitted. “However, we’re confident in our individual and collective abilities, as well as our preparation [for games], and we’ll remain optimistic moving forward.”
Looking ahead, the Gaels will have a chance to redeem themselves next weekend with a doubleheader against Nipissing and Laurentian.
Asked if the team was able to salvage anything of value despite dropping a full-three points to Carleton, Schroeter kept it short: motivation.
“We can draw positives from the [loss] and use this adversity to both reflect on – but also improve — as we head north next weekend,” he said.
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