Greatest show on turf
photo by Martha Pearce
BYOB (bring-your-own-ball): The men’s soccer team, a competitive club, played their first home game in three years on Oct. 24.
Late rally caps historic home game in men’s soccer
FANS WHO BRAVED damp and dreary weather to come out to Matt Anthony Field on Oct. 24 were rewarded with a historic soccer game that featured an unbelieveable finish. For the first time in three years, the University of Ottawa men’s soccer team got the chance to play an exhibition game at home—and they made it an event to behold, by rallying from a late one-goal deficit to dramatically defeat the visting Bishop’s Gaiters 2-1.
“It was amazing,” said Marc-André Paulin, reflecting on the rare home game. The fourth-year midfielder and team manager was responsible for organizing the event against the Gaiters.
“We started off really slow,” he said of his team’s play. “But as the match progressed we got a lot better.”
The score at halftime was 0-0, but not for a lack of effort on the Gees’ part. First-year striker Kevin Massé hit a post early in the contest and had several other scoring chances.
“This was my first home game for the [University of Ottawa],” he said after the match. “I think I’ve never played with that much heart my whole life. I’ve never played in front of that big a home crowd. It was exciting.”
With less than 15 minutes to play, an Ottawa defender attempted to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper. But a lack of communication caused both players to hesitate, which allowed a Gaiter player to intercept the pass. He promptly fired a shot past the keeper to give Bishop’s the late lead.
“Once they score you can’t put your head down,” said Christian Dmytryk, a first-year midfielder. “You [have] to keep it up, have some fun, [and] score some goals.”
Moments after Bishop’s tally, Massé intercepted a Gaiter pass and redirected it to Dmytryk, who fired the game-tying goal with less than 10 minutes to go.
Shortly after, the Gees crashed the Gaiter’s net once more. Massé hit the crossbar, but Dmytryk retained possession and headed a shot into the back of the net with just minutes left to play.
“After the first shot hit the crossbar, I saw the top left and just hit it,” said Dmytryk.
“I’m really proud of the boys,” said Paulin. “We were down 1-0 at the very end of the game … we’re not the type of team that gives up and we proved that today. [The guys] definitely worked hard for the victory.”
For Paulin, the real win was secured two weeks ago when he managed to reserve time at Matt Anthony Field in order to host the game. The men’s soccer team does not have varsity status and, as a result, gets very limited use of the field. In the past, the team has has had to scrape together exhibtion games played exclusively on the road.
For many of the Gee-Gees, the contest against Bishop’s was the first time they played a game at home—and they hope it won’t be the last. Paulin plans on trying to organize future games at Matt Anthony Field as he was encouraged by spectator turnout.
“We will definitely be trying to play more games at home. [The turnout today] proves that there is a community at the university for this sport,” he said.
