The Gaels’ season came to an abrupt end on Wednesday night.
The Queen’s Women’s Soccer team lost to the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks by a score of 1-0 on Oct. 21 at Richardson Stadium in the first round of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoffs. With the defeat, the team was eliminated.
The team came into the match with high spirits, as they had ended their regular season with a 3-2 win against the same Ridgebacks team during Homecoming weekend on Oct. 18, also at Richardson Stadium.
The regular season win over the Ridgebacks didn’t start well for the Gaels, as they conceded a goal just five minutes in. However, they responded shortly after, when Sophie Campbell, ArtSci ’30, scored an end-to-end rush to tie the game at one at the 19th minute mark. Ontario Tech would score just before halftime to take a 2-1 lead into halftime.
The second half was dominant for Queen’s, as they played most of it in the offensive end. They would eventually get rewarded when Sam Caputo, ArtSci ’28, scored a beautiful goal from far out to tie the game at two in the 73rd minute.
Campbell would then add another goal off a header during a scramble inside the box at the 83rd minute to give the Gaels a lead they would not relinquish, holding on for a 3-2 victory.
The win to close out the season gave Queen’s a 7-3-2 record, good for 23 points and fourth in the Eastern Conference OUA standings. The Ridgebacks finished in fifth place with 19 points, which gave Queen’s home field advantage against them.
After the first game against the Ridgebacks, The Journal caught up with head coach of the Women’s Soccer team, Dave McDowell, to talk about his team’s performance during the game and expectations heading into the playoffs.
McDowell wasn’t too impressed with his team’s performance during the first half of the game on the 18th, comparing it to “a plane flight with turbulence and some bad service and some really bad food.” However, he credited his team for coming back and pulling out a win.
The head coach also said that the team has to be more careful with possession and capitalize on their chances better if they wanted to pull out a win against the Ridgebacks for the second time.
“[We need] to be a little more thorough[…], less frivolous with the ball, especially with the ball in our defensive end,” he said. “I think we do have to take more of our chances when we create them and then put the ball in the net.”
Unfortunately, the team struggled to find the back of the net during their playoff game against the Ridgebacks.
The first half saw neither team able to generate many chances, as each team relied on their strong defensive system that allowed them to be successful throughout the year. The game entered halftime in a scoreless tie.
The Ridgebacks would be the first team to break through, as they scored on a free kick at the 60th minute to grab the lead. Despite a late push from Queen’s in search of an equalizer, the game ended in a 1-0 defeat, and they were subsequently eliminated from the playoffs.
Despite the loss, the season was an objective success for the team. With much of the team comprised of new players, the Gaels were able to achieve a great record and develop a style of soccer that should allow them to see success for years to come.
“We have improved dramatically with such a young group,” McDowell said. “Really proud of them.”
Tags
OUA, OUA playoffs, Woman's Soccer
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to eic@queensjournal.ca.