By Jack Longo
Ryerson’s Nick Lambis scored two goals Friday night against Queen’s University, the second of which came in the 89th minute and proved to be the game winner as the Rams came away with a 2-1 victory.
It was the Rams sixth-straight victory and their ninth straight match without a loss since the team forfeited its first six games of the season in September. The win pushes them into third place (8-6-1) in the east division, a seed that gives them the chance to participate in the 2017 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoffs with just one match remaining before the post-season begins.
The only game the Rams haven’t won since retroactively forfeiting came in a tie on Sept. 23 in which Lambis scored the equalizer. Lambis’ skill was on display again Friday as the Rams battled all match long to get a victory. With his pair of markers against Queen’s, Lambis moved into seventh place in scoring on the OUA leaderboard with nine goals this season.
Lambis scored the first goal of the match in the 12th minute, as the Rams were the dominant side in the first half.
In the second 45-minute stretch, Queen’s momentarily pegged Ryerson back when the Gaels were awarded a penalty in the 78th minute for a foul in the crowded penalty box. A Gael stepped up and put a shot past the Rams keeper, making the score 1-1 with 10 minutes to go.
Gaels goalkeeper Alex Jones made six important saves throughout the match, but Ryerson’s pressure eventually wore Queen’s down, with Lambis scoring both his goals off rebounds.
“They’re an excellent team and every matchup we have is always tight,” said Rams coach Filip Prostran after the game.
Ryerson will close out their regular season against the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins Saturday night. On Oct. 1, the Rams defeated the Paladins 4-0. Although RMC currently sits in last place in the division with a record of 0-12-3, Prostran wants his team to approach the game with a serious attitude.
“RMC is a really hardworking team and if you come in lackadaisical they can steal one from you,” he said. “We’ve got to have a short memory, forget about this [game] and start concentrating on tomorrow.”
Up Next: The Rams play the Paladins on Saturday in the team’s final regular season match of the year. Kickoff at Downsview Park is set for 8:00 p.m.
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