“It was a statement, and I think it will give us confidence going into nationals.”
Well, the Gee-Gees didn’t quite put seven in the back of the net like Germany did to Brazil in 2014 – but the host Gees still churned out a dominating performance in the OUA Finals on Nov. 4. The U of O racked up five goals on the visiting Queen’s Gaels, taking the game 5-1.
This was the second time this year the two sides squared off. In September, they played to a 0-0 draw. The Gee-Gees had moved up the national rankings since then, though – they came into the game ranked first in the nation.
Head coach Steve Johnson spoke about the importance of the championship game after their semi-final win Wednesday. “You don’t know what’s going to happen at nationals – we don’t want to wait, we want to get what we can when we can.” Johnson said. “We’re relatively healthy, I think we’re in the best position possible to be able to host and perform well.”
And boy, did the Gees perform well. The first 30 minutes of the game was tightly contested, and it was beginning to look like another 0-0 match could be in the cards. But after a Gaels defender fell on the ball just outside of the 18-yard box, an indirect free kick was awarded to the Gees.
Recently crowned OUA East MVP Cass Provost nonchalantly tapped the ball to Nibo Dlamini, who sent a perfect kick around the right side of the wall of defenders and into the bottom left corner of the goal to break the tie. After the game, Dlamini discussed not getting complacent after gaining the lead. “We just have a lot of respect for Queen’s. We know that no matter what, even if we’re 4-0 up, they can come back because they’re just such an amazing team.”
And just after half-time, the Gees kept pushing. Jenna Matsukubo, who is probably one of the only people I’ve ever seen that might have a chance to beat NFL superstar Tyreek Hill in a footrace, brought the ball all the way down into the Gaels end after getting the ball from her midfielders. She made a couple nice moves to gain some space, and then ripped a shot from just inside the box that glanced off Gaels keeper Kirstin Tynan’s gloves and into the back of the net.
Post-game, first-year Gee Matsukubo was asked about what the game meant. Matsukubo transferred back to her hometown Gees after last season, from the opposing Gaels. “Especially the confidence going into nationals next weekend, this was a huge win. [Johnson] was saying he’s never won a final by that many goals [over] the 30 years that he’s been here. It was a statement, and I think it will give us confidence going into nationals.”
In the 62nd minute, an in-position Provost received an aerial pass, but couldn’t quite get her leg up to feed it towards the net. It bounced to Gabrielle Ferland though, and she was able to find the bottom left corner. The Gees had a commanding lead midway through the second half, and the fans were getting louder and louder.
After Queen’s got on the board just a couple of minutes later, it was once again Matsukubo’s turn for a run. She danced and dashed almost all the way to Tynan in the Gael’s net, but was taken down by a Gaels defender, and the referee awarded a penalty kick to the home team. Matsukubo showed time after time throughout the game why she was named a 2022 First Team All-Star, and why the Gee-Gees were so happy to see her don the garnet and grey this season.
Dlamini placed the ball at the penalty spot, and the Gee-Gees faithful began chanting Tynan’s name. The third-year Nepean product drilled the ball into the top left corner of the goal – there was no doubt about this shot. Dlamini was appreciative of the boisterous faithful in attendance. “It was so important. I think that having the crowd with you helps momentum-wise, and to give you the extra push to make that tackle or get there, it was amazing. It was a really awesome crowd.”
With the game winding down, and extra time on the clock, Matsukubo was gifted the ball with no defender between her and Tynan, and she promptly knocked in her second of the game. The striker also touched on the atmosphere. “It’s pretty incredible. The fans were amazing today – it felt like they didn’t stop cheering for the entire game. They really lifted us up today, and we needed that.”
Johnson was very proud of his team, talking post-game. “I’m really pleased with today’s performance”, the longtime Gees coach said. “This team has progressed so far since we started off in August. I’m pleased to have a hometown win in front of a fantastic crowd. Our players knew what to expect from Queens – we held them in the first half, and things opened up in the second half. Our players did what we asked them to do.”
The Gee-Gees will travel to Kingston next weekend for the U SPORTS Women’s Soccer Championship. The top-seeded Gees will play a quarter-final game Thursday to kick-off their tournament.
