Men’s soccer clinched an easy win but was robbed of three points in their other weekend match.
The Gaels (7-2-4) rolled through the Laurentian Voyageurs 4-0 on Saturday, before ending the weekend with a disappointing 1-1 draw against the Nipissing Lakers (3-5-4) the next day.
Tricky field conditions meant the Gaels weren’t able to close offensively against Laurentian (4-6-2). A sound defensive game led to a scoreless first half.
Queen’s implemented their game plan in the second half, as the floodgates opened with a pair of goals from first-year striker Jacob Schroeter and one from third-year midfielder Andrew Martin – his first of the season.
“We came out flat against Laurentian,” captain Chris Michael said about the Gaels’ play in Saturday’s first half. “In the second half we figured it out — we were used to the pitch and the conditions and we started to play our football.”
Schroeter’s notches gave him a total of six goals in his rookie campaign.
Once up 3-0 the Gaels were unstoppable, finishing with a resounding 4-0 victory following a late penalty-kick goal from first-year Patrick Van Belleghem.
The Gaels couldn’t achieve the same level of success on Sunday afternoon against Nipissing, as they played solid defensively but lacked the final ball to create chances.
Queen’s was the more dangerous of the two sides, maintaining possession throughout the game, but couldn’t manage to dismantle the Lakers’ defense.
Nipissing looked to expose the Gaels on the counterattack and were successful in the first half. The Lakers’ Cale England put the ball past Gaels’ keeper Taylor Reynolds off a cross.
Queen’s answered the setback early in the second half. Midfielder Greg Simmons drew a foul in the box, and Michael successfully converted the penalty kick.
The Gaels continued to press hard in the second half, but were unable to secure the winning goal and settled for a draw.
“It just wasn’t our day,” Michael said. “We weren’t connecting well enough offensively and had a tough time scoring, which ended up hurting us as we couldn’t score the go-ahead goal.”
The Gaels are now sitting in the second spot in the OUA East division behind the Ryerson Rams (10-1-0), who they face in their next match.
The squad will also face the Toronto Varsity Blues (7-3-1), who sit just three points back of Queen’s.
In regards to the upcoming challenges this weekend, Michael said the team will need to get back to playing their style of football.
“We need to get the swagger back in our step and break down teams with a purpose,” he said.
Tags
Gaels, Laurentian, Men’s Soccer, Michael, Nipissing
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