This weekend, the Gaels took home a win and played for something bigger than soccer.
Queen’s women’s soccer showed both grit and heart in a gruelling back-to-back, rallying for a thrilling 4-3 comeback win over the Nipissing Lakers on Saturday before falling 3-1 to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in Sunday’s ‘Kick for the Cure’ match in support of breast cancer research.
Going into the weekend, the Gaels were ranked 10th nationally, with Nipissing and Ottawa placing sixth and third, respectively.
Saturday’s clash with the Lakers was frantic from start to finish. Nipissing jumped ahead by a score of 2–0 before Gaels star Seema Sakran, Kin ’26, halved the deficit late in the first half, finishing a feed from Mattson Strickler, ConEd ’26. When the visitors restored their two-goal cushion early in the second, the Gaels responded with urgency.
Sakran’s second goal, assisted by Peyton Wynn, HealthSci ’29, sparked the rally. Kendra Couto, Sci 26, buried a penalty in the 76th minute to tie the game, and Strickler completed the comeback three minutes later to secure Queen’s seventh win of the season.
Head Coach Dave McDowell, ConEd ’87, praised his team’s resolve. “We showed a lot of gumption in how we approached it,” he told The Journal in an interview. “Even after they scored, our focus was really good. Our heads never dropped, and we kept going at them.”
Less than 24 hours later, Queen’s returned to the pitch for their annual ‘Kick for the Cure’ match. The program, established in 2019 by former Gael Christie Gray, Comm ’22, has become a fixture in the Queen’s Athletics calendar, with the women’s soccer team raising tens of thousands of dollars for the Canadian Cancer Society over the past six years.
On Sunday, the Gaels wore pink kits to continue the tradition and honour those affected by breast cancer. On the field, Queen’s started bright. Strickler converted a pass from Tatiana Kayrouz, Comm ’27, in the fourth minute to take an early lead. Ottawa responded quickly, as the Gee-Gees equalized in the eighth minute and scored again in the 17th to make it 2-1.
Queen’s nearly found a reply when a 31st-minute chance from Brinley Bjornson, ArtSci ’28, rolled just wide of the far post, but Ottawa’s defence held firm. The visitors added a third in the 53rd minute when a Gee-Gee beat keeper Echo Bourbonnais, ConEd ’30, to a loose ball. The first-year Bourbonnais recovered to make a huge save in the 69th minute that kept the match within reach.
“Playing back-to-back like that’s always difficult,” McDowell said after the match. “We started fairly well but looked a little bit tired. Our heads dropped a wee bit after they scored their first goal, and that’s something we’ll try to fix.”
Despite the defeat, McDowell says he’s encouraged by the group’s direction. “Three points from the weekend, we’ll take that,” he said. “There’s a lot we can clean up, but there’s good stuff coming from the offensive third. Sometimes it’s just the final pass or touch we’re missing.”
He also highlighted Sakran’s three-goal weekend and Bourbonnais’ shot-stopping. “Echo made some really good saves,” he said. “We’re getting contributions from different players, and that’s encouraging heading into the stretch run.”
With a home game remaining before closing the regular season in Ottawa against the Carleton Ravens, Queen’s sits at 7-2-1, firmly in contention to top the OUA East. “It’s been a busy stretch, but we’re learning and competing,” McDowell said. “Now it’s about sharpening those little things before playoffs.” The weekend saw the Gaels slip to 11th in U Sports rankings.
Queen’s returns to Richardson Stadium on Oct. 10 to host the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET.
Tags
brinley bjornson, Dave McDowell, echo bourbonnais, Kick for the Cure, Nipissing Lakers, Ottawa Gee Gees, Seema Sakran, Women's soccer
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