By: Mason Bugaresti
The #6 nationally ranked Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team picked up a huge 5-0-win Sunday at TAAG Park over the #4 ranked TMU Bold.
The Ravens brought the game to the Bold from the minute the match began. Carleton held possession for almost the entirety of the opening 10 minutes, amassing four corner kicks in that time.
Carleton broke through in the 13th minute. Sean Kim (Richmond Hill, Ont.) played a ball down the left wing which reached a speedy Anthony Domanico (Ottawa, Ont.). The forward beat his man down the line dribbled around the keeper, and fed it across for an easy finish for Mohammed Bouzidi (Ottawa, Ont.).
Still,\ in the opening half hour, Luca Piccioli played a beautiful ball for Ricky Comba (Ottawa, Ont.) who settled his feet and sniped one off the post and over the goal line to give Carleton a 2-0 lead. The Ravens nearly added a third goal before halftime when Luca Piccioli (Ottawa, Ont.) smacked a shot off the post, but Carleton would have to settle for a two-goal lead at the break.
In the second half, the Ravens got right back to work. Mohammed Bouzidi (Ottawa, Ont.) picked up an assist on a Scott Mazzotta (Ottawa, Ont.) goal, his team-leading ninth goal of the season. Sean Kim (Richmond Hill, Ont.) played another perfect ball, this time to Devyn Viegas (Ottawa, Ont.) who made no mistake putting the Ravens up 4-0. With just a few minutes left in this one, Danny Assaf (Ottawa, Ont.) capped off the day for Carleton making it 5-0.
This win marks the first time this season that the Ravens have beaten a team ahead of them in the U Sports Top-10 rankings.
“Beating a team ahead of you is what this is all about. We have a lot of history with that team on the other side, so it always feels good to get all three points and a clean sheet anytime you play TMU,” Carleton head coach Kwesi Loney said after the game.
The Ravens’ now kick off their postseason run, starting with a Wednesday night quarterfinal match at TAAG Park against the Queen’s Gaels. Before that, the Carleton women’s team will take on the Nipissing Lakers live from TAAG Park in their quarterfinal matchup.
