The Queen’s women’s soccer team took on the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees last Wednesday, losing 1-0 in Ottawa. The Gaels sit at the top of the OUA East with a 10-2 record going into the Thanksgiving weekend. Both teams are nationally ranked with the Gaels third in the CIS.
“Ottawa’s always a tough game for us,” forward Kelli Chamberlain said. “They’re probably our toughest competition all year … They’re the only team we’ve lost to.”
The Gaels’ only losses of the season have come against the Gee-Gees. Chamberlain said that although Ottawa has been a challenge for the team, the low-scoring games haven’t worried them.
“It’s been a 1-0 game both times,” she said. “I think we’re equally matched in some ways. I think we have some strengths that they don’t have and they have some strengths that we don’t have. I think it’s just going to come down to playing our game if we meet them again.”
Chamberlain said the team needs to stick to their game plan going into games against the Gee-Gees.
“I think one of the reasons we’ve had trouble against them is because we wind up just kind of getting off our game, not playing the way we usually do,” she said. “We just need to focus on that.”
Queen’s leads the OUA East with Ottawa behind them by only seven points. Chamberlain said their lead isn’t as secure as it may seem since the Gaels have played two more games than the Gee-Gees.
“They’re right on our tails,” she said. “We can’t lose any more games at this point … It’s just kind of an extra motivation to keep working hard for the rest of the season, to just keep our spot.”
With injuries and a tough September schedule, Chamberlain said the women’s soccer team is looking for a well-deserved break over the weekend.
“We’ve had a lot of long stretches where we’ve had five games in a week,” she said. “It’s just really straining on the body … [We] get some time for injuries to heal and have people come back down to base level.”
Chamberlain trails her teammate Jacqueline Tessier, who has 12 goals, in the OUA scoring race with seven goals. The team’s offensive power has been a highlight to their 2010 season. With the graduation of CIS Player of the Year Renee MacLellan, there was concern over who could step up to fill her offensive prowess. Chamberlain said Tessier has been one of those individuals but credits a full team effort.
“Obviously everyone loves scoring,” she said. “It all starts from the rest of the team.”
Queen’s is back at home on Oct. 16 against the Ryerson. The game starts at 1 p.m.
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