Photo Credit: Tim Austen
Gee-Gees Stay Undefeated With Win Over Gaels
By In what was being promoted as a ‘Marquee Matchup’ by the OUA itself, a Sunday afternoon spectacle brought fans a rematch of last year’s OUA Finals as the Queen’s Gaels travelled up Highway 416 to take on the uOttawa Gee-Gees.
With the Gaels coming into the match with a cool 2W-1D-0L record so far this season, they are widely considered to be a title contender again this season. Thus against their fellow title favourites, both Coach’s Dave McDowell and Steve Johnson drilled home preparations with their respective rosters and either side jockeyed for a leg up on the other.
The importance of the match was far from lost on the players as well. When asked what it means to be taking on such a strong side like Queen’s this early in the season, uOttawa’s Cassandra Provost spoke to the ability to see how the rest of the season will go and adjust accordingly.
“It’s nice to play Queen’s early cause we can get used to how they play and then improve for later in the year,” said the OUA MVP. “When we meet them again, I feel we can do even better as we know what they’ll be doing and what they like to do against us.”
Off of the referee’s opening whistle, the game was a tight one. Despite having the majority of possession in the first-half, it was a slim majority at that and Queen’s were consistently challenging the Ottawa backline and keeper Cassidy Joslin. Even so, the Gee-Gee’s presented chances of their own, including just two minutes in when winger Jenna Matsukubo beat her defending counterpart in a footrace to a rolling ball and struck it hard towards Gaels backstop Kirstin Tynan. Luckily for the visitors, Tynan was in form and caught with relative ease Matsukubo’s strike to keep it drawn at zero.
In the end, it would not be the Gee-Gee’s strong offence that would break the deadlock, but rather the Ottawa defender and fourth-year Health Science student Maya Smith who found the mesh. With Johnson pushing more of his girls into the penalty area than normal in an attempt to get the upper hand during a corner set-piece, Smith quickly disarmed her marked defender and rose above the rest to make contact with Nibo Dlamini’s arching cross, netting it between the near post and Tynan’s reaching mitt.
Speaking after the meeting, Smith was elated with her own performance as well as that of her teammates and touched on how the defensive line she commanded stepped up coming into Sunday. “This game felt great… It’s always a hard game and we had to hold on a bit against the pressure,” said the defender, adding that she felt that her side came together really well despite many of them being new to the roster.
Notably absent from the scoreline in this one was the aforementioned Cassandra Provost. Currently just seven goals behind the Gee-Gees record for most career goals, the striker has been marred by injury so far this season. It was clear that the phenomenal defending from her Gaels counterpart, Clare Sun, and several potential non-calls by the official were getting to her as Provost demonstrated a level of frustration rarely seen in the otherwise-stoic athlete. She did touch on this post-game when asked:
“I am used to being a target with every game. The players and the refs know me by name and they call me by name too. I know that even if I’m taken down by three people, I won’t get the call.” She also said that, despite knowing this will be the case, she found the lack of chances extra frustrating when up against a strong side like the Queen’s Gaels.
Coming out of the half break, Queen’s were evidently reenergized and driven to possibly steal from underneath the homeside. Come the 53′ and Queen’s had earned their best opportunity for an equalizer yet. Building up from the midfield off of a great solo effort by the Gaels’ #8 Seema Sakran – who danced her way through the uOttawa midfield – she fed forward Mattson Strikler who aimed for the far pocket only for it to be pushed aside by a diving Joslin.
The match would remain at the 1-0 stalemate as both sides found opportunities to produce but were equally unsuccessful and nothing demonstrated this more than a late rush by the visitors in added time. Queen’s, desperate for a saving grace, once more put the pressure on Cassidy Joslin and pressed hard down the pitch. A long, high-flying cross by Sakran found the head of Sam Caputo who put a fair amount of power behind it, only for Joslin to catch the bouncing ball in a miraculous dive.
The three whistles at the end of the match called for a sigh of relief for the Gee-Gee’s faithful that lined the bleachers on the cold fall day as their girls held on to the win. Coach Johnson shared particular praise onto the opposing bench when addressing media post-game.
“I’m really happy to see the first couple of weeks be close,” said the Ottawa gaffer, “Our game today was an even match, we just so happened to be better on one set-piece over 90 minutes.”
Deservedly so, he was also quite congratulatory towards his own side and the performance they put on. When asked how they will be approaching their trip to Richardson Stadium on October 13, he said that he was confident in their ability to perform there: “We were able to compete against one of the best programs in the province.” He also highlighted the depth on his bench and its ability to rise to the occasions presented, including their away contest, which will double as their season closer.
Both sides return to their studies at their respective schools until weeks end when their 2024 OUA seasons ramp back up. For the Gee-Gees, they hit the road towards Sudbury to take on the Laurentian Voyageurs, having beaten the side once already this season 6-0, followed by a next-day meeting with the Nipissing Lakers who are currently in first. Oppositely, the Gaels will be at home for both games next weekend as the U of T Varity Blues and the Carleton Ravens descend upon Richardson Stadium for Queens’ first of three doubleheader homestands this fall.
Header Image Credit: Tim Austen
