Soccer is kicking into gear at Richardson Stadium.
Queen’s men’s and women’s soccer will face a familiar opponent today when the Carleton Ravens visit Richardson Stadium for an OUA doubleheader. The men’s team will kick off at 5 p.m., followed by the women’s team at 7 p.m. It will be the second meeting between Queen’s and Carleton this season after both Gaels teams opened their schedules against the Ravens in Ottawa on Aug. 30.
For the women’s team, Friday’s game comes after a 2-1 start to the season. The Gaels opened with a 2-1 road win over Carleton, fell 3-1 to Toronto, and responded with a 3-1 win over Trent in their home opener.
In the most recent game against Trent, Queen’s scored three times in the first half. Sasha Doleman, Kin ’29, opened the scoring in the 17th minute. Sophie Campbell, Kin ’30, added another in the 37th, and Tea Viduka, ArtSci ’30, made it 3-0 before halftime. Trent scored early in the second half, but Queen’s held on for the 3-1 win.
Women’s Soccer Head Coach Dave McDowell said before the season that Queen’s was still learning what this year’s group could become after losing key players from last year’s roster.
“I think with such a young group, we’re at a pretty good stage right now after a decent training camp,” McDowell said in an interview with The Journal. “The level of improvement is still significant, or the level that we could get to is significant.”
Last season, the Gaels finished 9-2-1, earned second place in the OUA East, and advanced to the OUA semifinals. Four Queen’s players were also named OUA All-Stars, including Kendra Couto, Sci ’27, Tatiana Kayrouz, Comm ’27, Seema Sakran, Kin ’26, and Mattson Strickler, ConEd ’27.
McDowell, now in his 39th season with Queen’s, said he did not want to put a firm win-loss expectation on the team too early.
“I’m not going to put any wins, losses, this is where we want to be on it. Because I think we really don’t know yet,” he said.
Instead, McDowell said the focus is on the team’s growth through the early part of the season.
“For me, the big thing is just to focus on that development,” McDowell said. “Are we getting better each day?”
The Carleton matchup will give Queen’s another chance to see where that development is after three games. The Gaels beat the Ravens on the road to start the season, and Friday will be their first time facing them at Richardson Stadium this year.
McDowell said he believes the team will be worth watching as the season continues.
“I think it’ll be fun to watch,” he said. “I would say it’s worth your while to come out to Richardson Stadium and catch us.”
The men’s team will enter Friday’s matchup still looking for its first win of the season.
Queen’s opened with a 1-0 road loss to Carleton, drew 1-1 against Toronto, and fell 2-1 to Trent in its home opener. The Gaels are coming off a 2025 season where they finished 6-5-1 and returned to the OUA playoffs for the first time since 2023. Their postseason ended with a 3-2 first-round loss to Ontario Tech.
Both Queen’s teams will continue their home stand after Friday’s doubleheader, with Toronto Metropolitan University visiting Richardson Stadium on Sept. 13.
Tags
Queen's men's soccer, soccer, Women's soccer
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