SEEKING REDEMPTION AFTER DROPPING THE FIRST MATCH TO CARLETON IN HOME-AND-HOME SERIES, THE GEE-GEES SETTLE FOR A 1-1 DRAW
On Friday, the Gee-Gees faced off against their cross-town rivals, the Carleton Ravens. After keeping Carleton scoreless for the first half of the match with a 2-0 lead, the Gee-Gees appeared set to maintain their dominance over the Ravens. However, the Ravens struck back in the second half with two consecutive goals by Lauren Illman and the winner by Mikayla Moser.
The 3-2 loss marked Ottawa’s first defeat to Carleton since 2013. Even before that 2013 setback, the Gee-Gees had never fallen to the Ravens since the women’s soccer program began at the U of O in 1994, making this their second loss to Carleton in program history.
The following Sunday, the Gee-Gees had the chance to redeem themselves at Matt Anthony Field. The scrappy back-and-forth match featured goals from the Raven’s Olivia Crombie and the Gees’ Nibo Dlamini, but closed out with a 1-1 draw.
The first half belonged to the Gee-Gees, who dictated much of the play and piled on offensive pressure through set pieces. The Gee-Gees won five corner kicks in the opening 35 minutes alone, with Clare Sun and Gracie Somers testing the Ravens’ defense.
Carleton goalkeeper Chloe Lachance-Soula and defender Illman came up with key stops to hold the line, but the breakthrough finally came in the 37th minute when Dlamini buried her second goal of the season to give the Gee-Gees a deserved 1-0 lead.
Carleton looked to respond before halftime, pushing forward through Olivia Crombie and Sydney Atwell, but their efforts were either off target or comfortably handled by Ottawa keeper Juliann Lacasse. Ottawa carried their narrow advantage into the break after a strong first half that was only hampered by a yellow card to substitute Vivian Johnson.
Nevertheless, the Ravens came out with more urgency in the second half, and the momentum swung quickly. In the 58th minute, Crombie delivered the equalizer, finishing off a corner kick for her second goal of the year to level the score at 1-1. Carleton nearly went ahead moments later when Illman’s header sailed just over the bar.
The final half-hour was a tense battle as both teams searched for the winner. Ottawa looked to Dlamini and Somers, while Carleton leaned on Illman’s physical presence in the box.
Lacasse produced several important saves, including a sharp stop on Illman in the 83rd minute, to keep the Gee-Gees from conceding again. Ottawa had a late chance in stoppage time when Somers’ strike drifted wide and Dlamini won a last-second corner, but the Ravens stood firm.
The match featured plenty of physicality, with fouls on both sides breaking up the flow and reflecting the rivalry’s intensity. In the end, neither team could find the edge, and the game closed at 1-1.
Carleton now ranks fourth in the OUA East, while Ottawa finds itself at fifth with the most losses they’ve ever had since 2016.
