SUDBURY, ON -- A four-goal second-half explosion by the Ravens men's soccer team propelled Carleton to a 4-1 victory over the Laurentian Voyageurs on Saturday afternoon in the first game of the team's weekend road trip to Northern Ontario.
The CIS No.8 nationally-ranked Ravens overcame an early second-half deficit with a lethal attacking display that gave the team an important win in its push for a top-two finish in the OUA East standings.
BOX SCORE
The Ravens duelled with the Lakers in a chippy, physical affair through the first half, coming very close to taking the lead on several occasions.
Carleton came out all guns blazing, appearing to go up 1-0 in the opening ten minutes, but an offside call negated the goal and a dream start to the match.
Following the offside decision, it was Laurentian who dodged another bullet, as the Ravens hit the cross-bar on a goal-bound shot but remained without a score after a frustrating forty-five minutes of action.
The second half had barely begun when Laurentian took a surprising 1-0 lead over Carleton in the 47th minute.
The Voyageurs received a bit of assistance from the wind on the play, as a strong gust held up a long ball sent into the 18-yard box, falling kindly onto the boot of Laurentian's Matthew Wilkes, who made no mistake to put his team up by a goal.
However, just as the Voyageurs took control, Laurentian midfielder Ayden Meilleur received a straight red card on the ensuing kick-off, leaving his team a man down for the remainder of the game.
With Laurentian competing shorthanded, Carleton saw their chance to pounce and went on a ferocious scoring attack.
In the 62nd minute, midfielder Daud Dahir (Ottawa, ON) slipped past his defender into the 18-yard box before being yanked down, leading to a penalty call. Captain Julian Piciolli (Ottawa, ON) came through from the spot to tie the game at 1-1.
Carleton went ahead in the 75th minute, as sophomore Dante Cobisa (Ottawa, ON) unleashed a hard shot on goal that gifted striker Mekonen Lovemore (Ottawa, ON) with a generous rebound, one he buried into the back of the Laurentian net to put the Ravens out in front 2-1 in the 62nd minute.
Seeking a tying goal late in the game, the Voyageurs went on the offensive by sending all of their players forward on a corner kick in Carleton territory. The Ravens cleared away the danger and fed the ball up to Mekonen Lovemore, who moved in on a breakaway from half and finished off the play by smashing the ball past the Laurentian keeper and into the top left corner for a 3-1 advantage in the 85th minute.
Carleton added one more for good measure in the 88th minute, as Dante Cobisa sniped the team's fourth marker with an accurately placed strike into the bottom right corner of the net from the top of the box.
The Ravens' remarkable turnaround against the Voyageurs helps them improve their record to 10-1-2 in 2016. Carleton remains undefeated in nine games, surpassing the eight-game unbeaten run they had in 2010. Kwesi Loney's side remains in contention for a first-round playoff bye, but the men will need to secure three points at Nipissing on Sunday to keep the team's ambition in tact.
RAVENS PLAYER OF THE GAME:#9 Mekonen Lovemore-White - Forward - 4th year - Ottawa, ON
UP NEXT:Carleton at NipissingSunday, October 16, 2016 - 2:15 p.m.Nipissing Field - North Bay, ON
