Ravens Sports Info (Photo: Marc Lafleur)
OTTAWA (Sept. 15, 2024) - The Carleton Ravens men's soccer team continued their winning ways over the weekend with a pair of wins on the road.
The Ravens were impressive on the opening leg of their weekend. Facing the U SPORTS Final 8 hosts from Ontario Tech, the Ravens carried much of the pace towards a 4-0 victory.
It took the Ravens sometime before Caden Tomy (Winnipeg, Man.) opened the scoring in the 39th minute chesting down a long ball and one-touching it past the keeper. The Ravens built a head of steam from there. Just five minutes later Darren Bouaziz (Ottawa, Ont.) brought down another leading ball into the box and placed it past the sprawling Kevon Grant for the 2-0 lead. Before they could escape the half, the Ridgebacks' defenders turned over a ball to Eric Yoseke (Ottawa, Ont.) at the top of the box. He made no mistake dancing around a pair of defenders before putting Carleton up 3-0.
Carleton kept up the momentum to start the second half as Yusuf Osman carried a defender on his back into the box and slotted his shot to the far left post past Grant for the fourth goal of the afternoon. The Ravens slowed the game's pace in the second half, controlling possession for the most part and wrapping up the three points on the road.
Carleton kept up their winning ways on Sunday with a professional 4-0 win at Trent.
Trent had their legs under them early in the match, causing pressure and putting Carleton on their heels, but the Ravens struck first. Just minutes into the action Adrijan Vranjkovic picked up a rebound in the box which he slotted past Owen Shulz for the early lead.
Trent responded by turning up the pressure, throwing several great opportunities toward the Ravens' goal, only for Tyler David (Hawkesbury, Ont.) to stand tall early, keeping the Excalibur at bay. Trent carried the pace until midway through the first half when the two teams paused for a hydration break. Following the break the Ravens were able to flip the field, returning the majority of play to the offensive end of the park for the rest of the half.
The Ravens flexed their strength in the second half, after the Excalibur kept Carleton at bay for nearly 35 minutes, Carleton’s offence took over. Darren Bouaziz and Mohamed Bouzidi worked together making a pair of passes inside the Trent box before Bouaziz slid the ball past Schulz. After playing setup man for much of the weekend Mohamed Bouzidi finally got his goal knocking home a Michael Jacobs in the 83rd minute to finish off the scoring for the weekend.
"For me, this weekend’s performance wasn’t just about the scoreline—it was a reflection of our values and ignoring the noise," said coach Plada after Sunday's game. "The team played with selflessness, supporting each other on and off the field, while showing the courage to push beyond their limits."
As the Ravens continue to work through a difficult schedule, they prepare to return home next weekend when they will host Toronto and TMU. "This team is growing together, and it’s powerful to see them dedicate themselves to a higher standard," he added.
"We know that there is still work to be done, but the commitment this team has shown to each other and to our shared goals proves we’re heading in the right direction."
