Gaels vanquish Voyageurs

Women’s soccer beats Laurentian Sunday, falls to Nipissing Saturday

Gaels’ defender Katie Dalziel avoids a challenge from Nipissing’s Didiane Chollet Saturday.
Image supplied by: Supplied Photo By Marc laRochelle
Gaels’ defender Katie Dalziel avoids a challenge from Nipissing’s Didiane Chollet Saturday.

The women’s soccer team earned three points from their weekend trip with a 2-0 victory over the Laurentian Voyageurs Sunday in Sudbury. They lost 3-2 to the Nipissing Lakers in North Bay on Saturday.

Head coach Dave McDowell said the team turned in two solid performances, but he was more impressed with how they played in Saturday’s loss.

“I think we’re all pretty pleased with how we did,” he said Sunday night. “I think we probably played better yesterday than we did today in miserable conditions up north here. [Saturday] was a crazy game. We outshot them 18 to five, and then they scored on their only two shots of the second half. It was one of those days.”

McDowell said the Gaels dominated early against Nipissing, but a penalty kick put them behind.

“The first 20 to 25 minutes of the game we were pressing, and then all of a sudden there’s this penalty on basically their first foray into our penalty area,” he said. “It was a controversial call, to say

the least.”

McDowell said the Nipissing match was one of the team’s best performances to date despite the loss.

“I thought it was one of our better games of the year,” he said. “We just had a couple of mental breakdowns, and sometimes that happens with younger teams.”

Queen’s has demonstrated offensive depth so far. The Gaels have scored eight goals in five games this year, compared to the four goals they had in the first five games last season, and last year’s top goal-scorer Renee MacLellan hasn’t scored yet this year.

McDowell said he isn’t satisfied with the offensive production yet, though.

“We are creating tons of chances, but I would say we’re not finishing enough of them,” he said. “[Saturday], we could have scored a bucketful of goals.”

McDowell said the Gaels also need to work on defending as a unit.

“We left each other kind of on islands,” he said. “We maybe lost our shape a bit through the midfield. They’re thinking attack, attack, attack and their transition back to defending maybe got a little bit slow.”

Veteran keeper Katie McKenna played both games for the Gaels, recording a shutout in Sunday’s match. She also stopped a crucial penalty kick against Laurentian. She said she’s seen a marked improvement in the team thus far.

“What’s really exciting is that every game, we get better,” she said. “Although we do have two losses and we’d like to be winning every game, the fact that we’re getting better definitely bodes well for the future.”

The Gaels have won three games and lost two so far, leaving them tied for third place in the OUA East division with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, with

nine points.

The Carleton Ravens and Ottawa Gee-Gees are tied for first with 10 points apiece. Queen’s will face Ottawa this coming Saturday at 2:15 p.m. at Richardson Stadium, and will host Laurentian on Sunday at 2:15.

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