Women’s soccer defends their home field and stays undefeated

The fifth-ranked Gaels beat Carleton, drew to UOttawa this past weekend in a pair of home games

Rookie Gael Taylor Green (4) lunges towards the ball.
Image supplied by: Supplied by Queen's Athletics and Recreation
Rookie Gael Taylor Green (4) lunges towards the ball.

Women’s soccer remained undefeated this past weekend with a home win and draw against Carleton and UOttawa, respectively.

Saturday’s game saw the fifth-ranked Gaels cruise to a 2-0 victory over the Carleton Ravens. With six shots on target in the first half, rookie midfielder Taylor Green put the home side on top with a goal in the 30th minute. In the second half, midfielder Laura Callender scored in the 50th minute to cement the victory for the Gaels.

Sunday’s matchup against the UOttawa Gee-Gees – who are currently ranked 10th in Canada – proved a bit more difficult for the Gaels.

In the opening frame, the momentum swung back and forth as both teams had their fair share of chances in front of goal. Strong defence by both sides kept the score level, as both teams entered the half tied at 0-0.

“Everything was contested to the ninth degree,” head coach Dave McDowell said of the first half.

By the second half, the Gaels looked far more comfortable. They moved the ball with pace, playing aggressively and consistently causing the Gee-Gees’ backline problems.

The home side was finally rewarded in the 64th minute after Jenny Wolever put Claudia Glasspool’s cross into the top left corner, taking a 1-0 lead.

In the 87th minute, Ottawa found their way back into the game.

After intercepting a pass, Gee-Gees forward Emma LeFebvre chipped the ball over Gaels’ goalkeeper Marina Ribecca, which landed in the back of the net. Queen’s pressed hard to regain the lead, but they were unable to score before time ran out, ending the match in a 1-1 draw.

“It was a great battle between two very good teams,” McDowell said of the game. He said the team will use the draw as a learning experience; particularly for new players who are still unfamiliar with university level competition.

“In the end, it was a good learning experience for us,” he said.  “Some of our younger players learned what you have to do to win at the highest levels.”

Even though the team came into their weekend doubleheader 3-0-0 and fifth in the in U Sports’ national rankings, McDowell said there’s still room for improvement for his team.

“A little bit of everything to be honest,” he said regarding what specifically the Gaels have to work on. “I don’t think there’s anything that we’ve met our capacity at yet and we’ve still got a ways to go, but where we are is a good starting point.”

The Gaels will be heading north this weekend where they will play Nipissing and Laurentian, both of which are teams they are readily familiar with. When they faced off at Richardson Stadium earlier in September, Queen’s beat both teams by a combined score of 7-3.

Tags

Carleton Ravens, Ottawa Gee Gees, U Sports, Women's soccer

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