Despite the cold weather rolling in, the women’s soccer season is just starting to heat up.
Queen’s went undefeated in their two-game home stand this weekend, defeating the Ryerson Rams 6-1 and University of Toronto Varsity Blues 6-2 in an incredible display of offensive power.
Following Sunday’s win, head coach Dave McDowell was pleased with the Gaels’ overall performance and effort. When pointing out areas he hopes to improve moving forward, McDowell said the team’s flaws are a positive because they provide an opportunity for improvement.
“It was a pretty good collective effort, I’d say, we scored lots of goals and created lots of chances there. There’s still moments where we, maybe not lose the plot a bit, but get exposed a little bit so there’s still some stuff to work on, which is good news,” McDowell said. “They all know there’s still areas where we can get better.”
The Gaels were clearly the better team in both of their matches, as they cumulatively outshot Ryerson and U of T 44-12.
The weekend included some strong performances from the Gaels’ attack, as OUA scoring leader Laura Callender led Queen’s with four goals on the weekend — including a hat trick against Ryerson. Jenny Wolever also made her mark in both contests, scoring once on Saturday and twice more against U of T. She currently leads the OUA in assists.
ICYMI MUST SEE – ️⚽️➡️ Straight to the back of the net on this strike from Wolever in the Gaels 6-1 win over Ryerson #LeadTheWay pic.twitter.com/Y0pAMWg5cG
— Queen’s Gaels (@queensgaels) October 1, 2017
“Our frontrunners are certainly a handful. The combinations of abilities they have in terms of speed, but also technical ability and hold-up ability. Between Laura [Callender] and Jenny [Wolever] … I thought Sarah Nixon played well over the weekend, so we’re getting some good things,” McDowell said.
Currently, the Gaels are third place in the OUA with a 7-2-1 record. With six games remaining until the playoffs, Queen’s is a mere two points behind the University of Ottawa for second place in the province. Ahead of these two bitter rivals is the undefeated UOIT Ridgebacks.
As the Gaels hit the final stretch of their season, maintaining their strong position in the standings isn’t the only thing on their minds.
“We’re just building as always,” McDowell said. “The teams that are the healthiest and playing the best at the end of the season are the ones that are celebrating at the end, so that’s what the goal is.”
Despite the team sustaining a few key injuries, the Gaels have been able to make up for the losses with strong offensive play and hard work off the field.
With five of their last six games away from Richardson Stadium, the Gaels are aiming to cap their season off with strong performances on the road.
They will travel to Ottawa next weekend to take on the Carleton Ravens, which will be followed by a key matchup against the Ottawa Gee-Gees as they continue to battle for second place in the conference.
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