By Koylan Azofeifa
The Rams women’s soccer team defeated the University of Toronto (U of T) for the first time in program history, with a 2-1 victory on Saturday, Oct. 2 at Downsview Park.
The Varsity Blues had more shots on goal, but the stellar performance of eight saves by Elisa Lapadula, Rams goalie, saved the game.
An early goal from the Toronto rivals didn’t stop the Rams, as Skylar Sheehan-Alleyene scored in the 43rd minute of the match giving the Rams its first goal of the season.
Just the night before Sheehan-Alleyene had stayed late after practice to work on finishing headers off of kicks and that’s exactly how she earned her first Ontario University Athletics (OUA) goal on Saturday night.
“I felt like all my practices paid off,” said Sheehan-Alleyene. “So [it] felt like we’re not doing it for nothing.”
After the game, Rams head coach Natalie Bukovec had high praise for her second-year star.
“[She’s] a phenomenal athlete, such great speed and a wicked left foot, she was obviously a key part of the objective for us,” said Bukovec.
Rams Midfielder Chrstiana Daniel added to the team’s lead in the 51st minute of the game, flying to the net for a well-placed header.
“I usually don’t really score, I’m usually the person that finesses the ball…so it’s nice to be a part of it,” said Daniel.
After their 1-0 loss against the Varsity Blues on Sept. 25 in their season opener, the Rams came out victorious with minor changes to their game plan.
“It was very much the same game plan with a little bit of fine tuning, so it was just [a matter of] dabbling in on the film and looking into the specifics,” said Bukovec.
The team’s victory also came with an exuberant celebration.
“It’s amazing, you should see us over there, we’re blasting music and jumping around,” said Daniel.
The Rams are set to face new rivals, Nipissing University, next week on Oct. 8.
After the win in their home opener on Saturday night, Daniel says the Rams will be looking for hard work and a win as they head out on the road.
Up Next: The Rams travel to Nipissing to face the Lakers. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.
Correction: A previous version of this article included mistakes about who scored the goal in the 43rd minute and who scored the goal in the 51st minute. It also previously said that Skylar Sheehan-Alleyene scored in the 51st minute, when in fact she scored in the 43rd minute. The article also incorrectly listed that Christiana Daniel scored in the 43rd minute, when in fact she scored in the 51st minute. The Eyeopener regrets these errors.
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