WSOC | Voyageurs Drop Tough Match to Ravens

The Voyageurs women's soccer team had a good showing on Sunday against the Carleton Ravens but were unable to solve the Ravens' defence as Carleton got by with a score of 1-0.

It seems as if the soccer gods are not with the Voyageurs women's soccer team so far this season who, even though they outplayed their most recent opponent, still were unable to find a win. The most recent heartbreaker came on Sunday afternoon when the Carleton Ravens managed to defend a one goal lead to record their third win of the season.

The match began with fireworks when, just twenty-three seconds in, Melissa Gilligan scored an unassisted goal to put the Ravens on top. However, this early disappoint would not faze the Voyageurs one bit but rather do the opposite and reinvigorate them as they pressed on to look for an equalizer. The Voyageurs would demonstrate their strength by controlling the ball and creating numerous chances. This was evidenced by the number of shots taken in the first half with nine to Ravens' eight. Unfortunately though, the Ravens defence was successful in thwarting the Voyageurs' attacks. A 1-0 score line would be maintained for the rest of the half.

The Voyageurs continued their onslaught in the second half by recording additional nine more shots to the Ravens' two. Furthermore, to give a better picture of just how dominant the Vees were, consider the following statistics: the Voyageurs goalkeeper had less saves than Ravens goalkeeper (6-8) and had more corner kicks (6-5) than their opponents. Despite all that, Laurentian was unable to find the back of the net. In the end, the Carleton Ravens managed to defend home turf and secure a 1-0 victory.

"We were strong and confident but we just couldn't seem to find those spaces through their defensive line. We were really lacking tenacity and ability to connect from defence to midfield to forwards. Definitely could've been a game to win," said Rachel Sheppard when asked to evaluate her team's performance, reiterating the sentiment that a possible victory slipped from their grasp.

The Voyageurs will now welcome the Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday at 12pm as they look to get back into the playoff race.

Wali Khan

Sports Writer