By Chris Johnston
It’s bad losing to a winless team following your biggest win of the year. It’s worse to lose to a winless team with playoffs on the line.
On Sunday, Ryerson lost 3-1 to the University of Windsor Lancers. The Brock University Badgers won both their weekend games and moved from last to first in the OUA midwest division. The University of Guelph Gryphons claimed second place.
The Rams finished the season 2-6-2, a marked improvement over their 0-10-0 finish from last season.
This year’s women’s squad was successful because it was able to do something that the six before them could not – win a game.
Despite finishing with an unimpressive 1-9-0 regular season record, the Lady Rams have a lot to be proud of.
“Our first win was a highlight for the girls,” said fourth-year coach Jon Sanderson. “It was a stepping stone for the coaching staff too.”
The sun set on the Rams’ season with a 2-1 road to loss to Windsor on last Sunday.
“The girls were disappointed that they didn’t start a new streak of the winning kind,” Sanderson said, referring to the teams win against Brock, their first victory in seven years, in their previous outing. “They realized that they may have let one slip away because of missed scoring chances in the first half.”
Before beating the Badgers, Ryerson experienced its low point of the season. They lost five games in a row and were outscored by a combined total of 29-1.
The Lady Rams still made progress: they almost quadrupled their offensive output from last season, due largely to the four goals scored by rookie Michell Anderson.
All are signs of improvement for a program and a team that once seemed dormant.
“The future of the program seems bright,” Sanderson said. “There is the possibility of 11 players returning and there will be some key recruiting to fill the voids left by graduating athletes. The mood is positive.”
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