In a much-anticipated clash between two of the top teams in the OUA league, the Varsity Blues women’s soccer team played to a draw with the Ottawa Gee-Gees 1-1 on Oct. 25 at Varsity Centre. Nevertheless, it was more than enough to send the Blues through to the quarterfinals of the upcoming OUA playoffs.
Having shut out the RMC Paladins 6-0 in the previous match, the Blues maintained a one-point lead over the Gee-Gees in the OUA East division table going into the clash. In order to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs, the second-ranked Toronto only needed a tie, whereas the third-ranked visitors needed a victory.
The match thus carried more significance for the home team. On Oct. 10, Ottawa handed Toronto its only defeat of the season, ending the Blues’ undefeated streak of 11 games. The Blues were looking to retaliate, rather than anticipating a friendly draw. At the beginning of the match, both sides defended well, with neither team dominating the midfield. Then Toronto started to put pressure on the Gee-Gees, causing its defence to scramble several times. The Blues finally broke through the Ottawa defence, and took the lead in the 16th minute. Following a defensive error by the visitors, the Gee-Gees goalkeeper Melissa Peasant found herself facing Toronto striker Jennifer Siu one-on-one. Attempting to clear the ball, Peasant made a critical mistake by kicking it back to Siu’s feet. Siu then comfortably sent the ball into the far post through a low shot, scoring her second goal in two matches.
As the game went on, both teams faced dangerous moments in front of their goals. The Gee-Gees scored an equalizer in the 43rd minute after some chaos in the penalty area following an Ottawa corner kick. The Toronto defence blocked a few attempts by the visitors were blocked, but finally Tara Condos had enough space to fire a shot to the high right corner of the Toronto goal, keeping Ottawa’s hopes of winning alive.
The second half saw a livelier game, with Ottawa pressing forward in an attempt to score. Gee-Gees striker Courtney Luscombe threatened the home team’s defence several times by racing down the left flank. Her efforts resulted in a number of opportunities for Ottawa to score, but either the shots were too wide, or the chances were denied by Toronto goalkeeper Mary-Ann Barnes or the defence line, led by Nav Deol and Alisha Lashley. The two central defenders cleared any attacks through firm headers and clean tackles, and were able to start counterattacks with great passes to the front.
Toronto’s counterattack saw Siu racing down the right flank, and forward Jessica Fantozzi keeping the pressure on the Gee-Gee’s defence. Towards the end of the match, Fantozzi fired a powerful shot and forced Peasant to make a fine save. Even though Ottawa were making huge efforts to score in the final minutes, the Blues put up a solid defence and kept the score of 1-1 unchanged until the end, receiving a first-round bye in the OUA playoffs.
“It was our game plan we knew that we had to tie, or win. […] Our tactic today was just to defend solidly, to hold your line, and the girls did just that,” said head coach Eva Havaris.
Toronto scorer Siu was also satisfied. “It feels great to have a good result with this team. Last time we didn’t feel good about the results, so today we just came out here with high intensity,” she said. “It was good to get a goal. It was very unfortunate that they scored again on us, but […] we are happy for the tie for now. It feels really good to score twice but really it’s a huge team effort and all of us contributed to bring in the results. […] What we focus on is not individual results, it’s a team thing, and we work together to produce results.”
The Blues finalized their second-place finish in the OUA East division, earning 37 points in 16 matches (with an 11-1-4 record). Compared to last year’s top-place finish that saw the team garnering 32 points in 14 matches (with a 10-2-2 record), this year the team has performed just as well, if not better.
“We are getting stronger as we go, starting to peak at the right times. So overall, the girls are fine, they are coming together as a team, which is what we want to see, so I am pleased,” said Havaris. “We finished second, we’ve beaten the top-placed team; we’re just looking ahead to playoffs. This team is now ready to go.”
Looking to the future, Havaris is optimistic about the team’s performance in the playoffs. When asked about the heartbreaking 1-0 loss to the Carleton Ravens in the quarterfinals last year, she said, “It was the game that beat us last year, not that other team. We dominated that game, but I am not concerned about last year. This is a new team.” She claims that the team is not going to prepare for the playoffs differently this year.
“We were very disappointed with the result [last year], the defeat to Carleton,” said Siu. “So this year, we’ll come out stronger with more intensity, and especially if we play Ottawa again, we’re looking to win.”
Not surprisingly, the clash drew a larger crowd than most of the previous home games. Realizing how important this game was for the Blues, the home fans were lively throughout the match, cheering loudly for the home team. The atmosphere certainly boosted the morale of the Blues. “The fans support is huge for us, because that really livens the spirit and keeps the girls in the game. So that was a huge part today,” said Havaris.
The Blues will now start their quest for the OUA title, facing either Carleton or Ottawa in the OUA quarterfinals on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 1 p.m. at Varsity Centre.
