Written by Ravens Sports Information
Kingston, Ont. – The Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team struck quickly on Friday afternoon, scoring three goals in the opening 23:40 on route to a 3-1 win.
Daniel Assaf opened the scoring for the Ravens in the 10th minute finishing home a cross from Scott Mazzotta. Mazzotta had appeared to run out of space on the left wing of the park before working his way back to a passing area and finding Assaf inside the box.
Off the restart, Silvio Simil quickly found himself inside the Gaels’ defenders and before keeper Connor Adams could react had made the game 2-0. Simil’s strike, which would prove to be the winner, came just inside the 12th minute.
Only 11 minutes later Assaf would strike again, collecting his second of the match and surpassing his goal total from 2021. Assaf’s second was a brilliant finish as he caught a long cross on the hop with his right foot and immediately delivered it to the right of Adams. Throughout much of the first half, the Ravens continued to maintain possession outshooting the Gaels 8-4.
Queen’s would come on strong in the second half bringing a more physical effort to the Ravens. The increased physicality would prove key to the Gaels who outshot the visiting Ravens 7-1 in the half while earning their lone goal of the match. The Gaels leader for most of the match, Lucas Booth, scored their lone goal in the 71st minute after collecting a rebound off starting goalkeeper Tyler David.
The Ravens start their season with a win over the Gaels for the second straight year and will return to Kingston next Friday for a matchup against RMC.
Next Sunday afternoon the Ravens host the UofT Varsity Blues in their home opener. Kickoff at TAAG Park is scheduled for 3:15 after the Ravens women’s soccer team hosts RMC.
Tickets for the doubleheader are on sale now, buy your tickets online in advance to skip the lines and save on gate prices.
On the quick start…
“It was very important coming off the preseason, being able to start the game in that manner definitely releases of some pressure. It allows the guys to play a little bit more free with a bit more confidence. And, as you see with us, when we got the first one it just opened the floodgates for us and we got two more quick ones.”
On Queen’s…
“Queen’s was never going to roll over, Coach Hoeffler does a really good job preparing them. I think they had a very slow start and we were able to capitalize. We knew the second half wasn’t going to be the same as the first, they have a lot of pride in their program so they came and pushed.”
On the veterans…
“It’s great, we had a lot of turnover, but having guys like Scott [Mazzotta], Cris [Malekos] and Ricky [Comba] on the roster who have been here for four, or five, years it just solidifies the group.”
On next weekend…
“RMC is always a bit tricky, so we want to ensure we prepare this week and get ready for that game.”
“With the students back on campus and it being early September, we really hope everybody comes out and brings support. I think it’s going to be a big match for us playing UofT.”
