Ottawa, Ont. (August 23, 2025) - It was far from a fairy tale open to the Carleton Ravens' 80th varsity sports season as the Toronto Varsity Blues entered TAAG Park and handed the Ravens a 42-23 loss.
The Ravens' historic anniversary season got off to a rough start as Toronto converted the third drive of the game into an 8-yard touchdown pass from Scott Barnett to Jake Oseen.
After finding Nicolas Cerquozzi on a 31-yard pass, Ravens starter Tristan Lefevbre would throw two incomplete passes, and the Ravens would be forced to punt. After battling back from a season-ending injury in week one last season, Lefevbre never found his form.
The Varsity Blues took full advantage of Carleton's early struggles and picked apart a young secondary to build a 27-0 lead. Toronto would add an exclamation mark to their hot start when Barnett hit Thomas Roberts over the middle for a 102-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
Just before the half, Brandon Forcier put the Ravens on the board while taking sole possession of second all-time in Ravens scoring. The veteran from L'Ange-Gardien, QC, passed Ravens broadcaster and historian Jeff Morris, leaving only Michael Domagala ahead of him in the all-time list.
The Ravens would get touchdowns from Aidan Arnott-Smith and Frederick Hachey down the stretch. Though the offence found some rhythm, big plays from Toronto continued to be the story in the second half, including a massive fumble return touchdown that put the game out of reach.
The Ravens now enter their bye week before travelling to Waterloo on Saturday, September 6, 2025.
