Gee-Gees’ late-season struggles lead to disappointing early playoff exit
The University of Ottawa women’s soccer season came to a disappointing end on Sunday, Oct. 30 against the Queen’s Gaels.
It was a tale of two seasons for the Gees this year. They started their season red hot, reeling off nine consecutive victories.
However, their success would not last as they went 0–3–4 in their final seven games, managing only four points of a possible 21 to cap off the regular season.
The Gees limped into their first playoff matchup on Oct. 26, but managed to beat the University of Toronto 3–1 in overtime and restore some optimism for their upcoming playoff game.
Following their big win in the preliminary playoff round, the Gee-Gees headed to Queen’s to face the Golden Gaels in the Ontario quarter-final. The Gees were 1–0–1 against Queens during the season.
It was a tight game that would require overtime after going scoreless in regulation.
The first overtime period ended with the game still tied at zero. With penalty kicks looming, the second extra frame commenced.
The Gaels scored the only goal of the game with less than 11 minutes left, ending the Gees’ season.
Despite the result, head coach Steve Johnson was pleased with the way his team played in the game.
“We played well in our game vs. Queen’s. Our effort was not lacking,” said Johnson. “We had two genuine scoring opportunities against Queen’s.”
The end came as a disappointment to some, since the Gees were ranked as high as second in the country at one point during the season.
Johnson said injuries to fifth-year striker Breanna Burton, second-year striker Thea Nour, and fourth-year midfielder Faythe Lou midway through the season definitely hurt the team.
Johnson thought his team played well all year, but often lacked the finishing touch.
“We led the country in shots and corner kicks, which are solid indicators of offensive play. But we did not match our scoring output to the number of opportunities we created.”
With a number of key players leaving this year, it will be up to Johnson to find a way to get more goals out of his team next year and lead them back into the playoffs.
