Thud. Carleton’s net came crashing down midway through the second half of their game against U of T Sunday afternoon after an incredible gust of wind. This unexpected delay served as an omen that the Blues were not going to score on the Ravens on this day.

Carleton and U of T squared off in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) men’s soccer final on a windy, overcast afternoon at St. Michael’s College School last weekend. The game was a low-scoring affair that ended in a 2-0 Ravens victory.

The crowd of over 200 spectators that took in the match was heavily pro-Ravens. Chants of “Go Ravens!” and “Go Red!” rang out all afternoon, while only a handful of Blues supporters could be heard above the blistering wind.

Weather wrought havoc on every ball that left the ground in the game. Wind caused passes and shots to go well wide of intended targets all game and a strong gust took down Carleton’s net in the second half, causing a five-minute delay.

The Ravens got one goal in each half to put the championship on ice. Paul Waiganjo made the game 1-0 in minute 34 after capitalizing on a beautiful pass across the goal, and Abdullah Abunafessa sealed the deal for Carleton in minute 56 with a header that beat diving Blues keeper Luciano Lombardi.

Every time the Blues got the ball near Carleton’s goal, the Ravens’ stingy defence and outstanding goalkeeper, Arjun Langford, repelled them. Several U of T chances went for naught because Langford charged out and smothered the ball before a Blue could bury them in the net.

Honourable mention needs to be given to Raven defender Roberto Gutierrez, who single-handedly broke up numerous Blues rushes by kicking or heading the ball away.

On Saturday the Ravens put in a similar performance to defeat York in their OUA semifinal game. Timothy Wakhanu Khaemba scored both goals in a 2-0 victory to propel Carleton into Sunday’s final.

The Blues had to go through Western-the top-ranked university soccer team in the nation-to make it into the championship game, and pulled out a hard-fought 2-1 upset win. The goal scorers for U of T in the semifinal were Allen Keri and Josh Gordon.

The championship game was not free of questionable calls by the officials. Boos and jeers resonated from the stands early in the first half when no penalty was given to the Blues defender who tripped a speeding Abunafeesa near the Blues goal. The Carleton forward was actually given a yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct on the play.

The Ravens received a total of four yellow cards in the match, while the Blues were only booked once. From the heckling in the stands it was apparent that the bulk of the spectators thought U of T was getting favourable calls all day.

Medals and the OUA championship banner were handed out after the final gun sounded. Silver medals were given to the Blues first, followed by the reception of gold medals and the banner by the victorious Ravens.

Western beat York 1-0 in the bronze-medal game to round out the top three at this year’s OUA final four weekend. Kyle Washington was the lone goal scorer in that contest.

The soccer season is not quite over for the Blues or Ravens. Both teams will represent Ontario at this year’s Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) men’s soccer championships next weekend in Prince Edward Island. U of T hasn’t won the Canadian crown since 1988 and Carleton has never won the title.