Photo by Valerie Wutti
One week after the 52nd Panda football game, Carleton University and the University of Ottawa faced off again, this time in women’s soccer at Matt Anthony Field in Sandy Hill.
Both teams entered the match coming off big wins. Carleton had an offensive outburst last match putting nine past RMC in a 9-0 home win. The Gee-Gees entered Saturday’s match with three wins from their opening three matches.
After some early chances for both sides, the Gee-Gees drew first blood in the 22nd minute. Sadie Sider-Echenberg got things started for U Ottawa with a left-footed shot that beat Carleton goalkeeper Sophie Ehlebracht (Ottawa, Ont.) to her right side. That goal marked Sider-Echenberg’s first goal in her U Sports career.
Less than 20 minutes later, the Ravens nearly answered on the scoreboard. A free-kick whipped in by defender Yuoma Konate (Ottawa, Ont.) found forward Lauren Illman (Whitby, Ont.) inside the 18-yard box, but Illman hit the post to keep it a 1-0 game.
Moments later, the Gee-Gees drew a penalty after a foul inside the Carleton area. Stepping up to take the penalty kick for the Gee-Gees’ was Emma Lefebvre, who was just named women’s athlete of the week for U Sports. Lefebvre made no mistake converting to put Ottawa U up 2-0 before the end of the half. With that goal, Lefebvre became the 6th Gee-Gee’s player to score 30 goals in her U Sports career.
Carleton forward Chloe Doherty (Ottawa, Ont.) nearly pulled one back for Carleton on the cusp of halftime but pulled her shot just wide from outside the 18-yard box.
The Ravens fought back hard in the second half, dominating possession for long stretches of play. After Taylor Saunders (Ottawa, Ont.) was subbed on in the 53rd minute, Carleton had several chances in Ottawa U territory. Forward Martina Milito (Ottawa, Ont.) struck a shot with her right foot that just hit the side of the goal, nearly cutting the Gee-Gees’ lead in half.
In the final ten minutes, Lefebvre made it 3-0 for the Gee-Gees after finding a loose ball off a free-kick to put the match to bed.
Yuoma Konate (Ottawa, Ont.) was a standout performer from Carleton today with several strong tackles inside Carleton’s penalty area that stifled Ottawa U attacks. Konate’s excellent play in the second half helped Carleton keep the match close, and her free kicks led to several chances.
The Ravens and the Gee-Gees will meet for a rematch at Ravens’ Perch on Monday, October 11, at 3:00 p.m.
Seating is available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Can’t make it to the game? Join Stevie Ball and Alex Zaslavsky for the call live on OUA.tv.
