The Queen’s Women’s and Men’s Soccer teams left Richardson Stadium triumphant following victories against Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) on Sept. 23.
Gaels Women’s Soccer beat TMU Bold 5-0
The Gaels were quickly up 1-0 from a penalty shot scored by fullback Sophie Miranda, HealthSci ’25, outclassing TMU with their tenacious group of forwards and defenders.
Nearly 10 minutes later, midfielder Seema Sakran, Kin ’26, made a touch pass to forward Leda Naihin, Kin ’27, resulting in another goal 34 minutes into the game.
“I had a very clear shooting opportunity, but I feel like in that moment it was a better angle for [Naihin],” Sakran said in a post-game interview with The Journal.
Sakran refers to herself as a direct player. Before the end of the half, she scored against TMU Goalkeeper, Elisa Paolucci, who failed to keep Sakran’s shot out of the top-left corner of the net.
“To be honest with you, I’m a right-footed player,” Sakran said. “But it was a clear path for me, and I just took it.”
In the second half, TMU came out with a newfound sense of urgency, especially among their offensive line. The Gaels showed their versatility in response by utilizing the team’s talent as forward Morgan Fenton, ArtSci ’26, scored, increasing the lead to 4-0.
Though the offense was red-hot, it was the Gaels defense that kept the game in control, and goalkeeper Kirstin Tynan, ArtSci ’24, didn’t let in a single shot.
“We used our entire bench to help manage energy levels,” Tynan said. “Each player came on and gave their all and that’s the way we like to defend. As its kind of relentless, and resilient.”
To cap off their dominant performance, Melina Glavas, ArtSci ’27, scored in the last minute of the game, finalizing the score at 5-0.
After a tie game against the uOttawa Gee-Gees at Richardson on Sunday, the Women’s Soccer team’s season sits at 6-0-1.
Gaels Men’s Soccer beat TMU Bold 3-0
With 1993 Queen’s Soccer alumni cheering on the Gaels, and a tough TMU team who had yet to be scored against this season, the Men’s Soccer team faced a major challenge at Richardson Stadium.
Though TMU had a strong defensive unit, only 13 minutes into the match Queen’s forward Matthew Ciavarro, Comm ’24, swung the Gaels momentum, gracefully crossing the ball to forward Andrea Gortana, Comm ’24, resulting in a tap-in goal.
TMU fought back, bringing a physical approach to the game. Nonetheless, Ciavarro managed to stay calm under fire, shooting a low driven ball past TMU goalkeeper Dante Ferraro, inching the Gaels to a 2-0 lead 37 minutes into the game.
“It’s instinct. I don’t really think about it. I just do, instead of calculating beforehand. In that situation I think the low driven shot caught him off guard,” Ciavarro told The Journal after the game.
In the second half the Gaels were down a player after receiving a red card. Playing with a sense of pride, Queen’s forward Pablo Hempelmann-Perez, Comm ’26, scored a goal from a rebound off the post 51 minutes into the game.
Though this was Queen’s only shot on net in the second half, goalkeeper Connor Adams, ArtSci ’25, kept the Gaels alive with a penalty shot save at 59 minutes.
“I looked him in the eyes, and I could tell that he was nervous. I was confident I was going to save it. I was calmer than him,” Adams said.
Adams would go on to seal the game with another penalty shot save, as the Gaels finished with a final score of 3-0. The Gaels improve their season record 2-3-2.
Both Gaels Soccer teams will face off against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in Toronto on Oct. 1.
Tags
Connor Adams, Kirstin Tynan, Matthew Ciavarro, Men’s Soccer, Seema Sakran, TMU, Women's soccer
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