Toronto Metropolitan University's Independent Student Newspaper Since 1967

All Sports

Rams lose close game to UOIT Ridgebacks

By Ben Shelley

In a close game, the Ryerson women’s soccer team fell 1-0 to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks on Wednesday night.

The team played well defensively throughout the match, making few mistakes in their own end. The Rams defensive core limited the Ridgebacks shots and did a good job of keeping scoring chances to a minimum.

“We really stress the defensive foundation that Ivan’s been practicing with us,” said defender Katrina Gonyea. “We really wanted to play a sound clean game in our zone and not fly into too many tackles, and I think we did a good job of that tonight.”

Despite the strong defending, Ryerson struggled to generate offensive chances, putting only four shots on net. The first half of the game looked to be exactly what the Rams wanted with both teams playing tight, defensive soccer. Ryerson controlled parts of the first half, with east-to-west passes connecting consistently and keeping errors to a minimum.

However, part way through the second half, UOIT broke the deadlock when midfielder Shynice Williams put the ball past Rams’ keeper Bronwyn Clarke. The Ridgebacks controlled much of the play for the rest of the half, giving Ryerson few opportunities. Despite a late push, the Rams were unable to tie the game in the final minutes.

After the loss, assistant coach Kristina Cook was still optimistic about the team moving forward.

“Our focus is always on the team effort and making sure everyone is doing their jobs, and making sure we’re sound defensively before we attack,” said Cook. “Obviously you’ve got to score goals to win games, so we’re looking to generate some offence, but I think we’ll continue on the path we’re on and good things will come.”

The Rams will try to break their four-game winless streak in back to back games this weekend at Downsview Park. Ryerson will host the Royal Military College of Canada on Saturday, Sept. 19 and Queens on Sunday, Sept. 20 with both games starting at 1 p.m.

Leave a Reply