Men’s soccer: Rams top Laurentian, improve to 11-0

By Daniel Rocchi

• Rams improve to 11-0 on the year
• Jamie Baker scores 8th and 9th goals of the season
• Ryerson allows one shot on net

The Ryerson men’s soccer team continued their perfect season with a 2-0 win over the Laurentian Voyageurs on Sunday afternoon at Downsview Park.

The Rams came into their first home game since Sept. 4 as the number three university team in Canada and improve to 11-0 with the win. Ryerson is the only team in the country without a draw or loss.

Fourth-year striker Jamie Baker scored two early first-half goals to lift the Rams to victory. Ryerson defender Andrew Dias headed the ball through the Laurentian six-yard box before Baker buried it with a header of his own in the sixth minute. Barely five minutes after opening the scoring, Baker converted a Luka Lee cross for his second tally of the match. The goals were Baker’s eighth and ninth of the season. Baker currently sits tied for second in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) goal-scoring race.

The match tightened up in the second half, with both teams clogging up midfield and limiting scoring opportunities. The Rams finished with 25 shot attempts, 10 of which were on target. The Voyageurs, meanwhile, managed only six shot attempts. Rams keeper Praveen Ahilan had to make just a single save in the first half to secure his sixth clean sheet of the year. The second half also saw increased physicality and emotion from both teams. Laurentian earned a pair of yellow cards and Julian Santia collected a yellow for the Rams.

“They’re a good team, well-coached, and they came out with a bit of fire,” said Rams head coach Filip Prostran. “[Our] two quick goals really settled us down and broke their spirit.”

NOTE: Ryerson midfielder Raheem Rose is expected to return to the Rams lineup next game. Rose has missed the last four games due to injury, but still sits tied for sixth in the OUA with six goals in seven matches.

UP NEXT: The Rams play the second of four straight home games against Queen’s on Saturday, Oct. 8. Kickoff is at 3:15 pm at Monarch Park Stadium.