(18/10/24) - Kingston, ON.  The Queen's Women's Soccer team claim their spot in the OUA quarter finals by defeating the Carleton Ravens 2-0 in the first game of the playoffs on Friday evening at their home field of Richardson Stadium.  The match took place in an irregular fashion as the teams had to meet twice in order to finish the match, after an electrical issue at the Gaels stadium in the second half caused the field lights to cease from working.  As the field was pitch black, the game was delayed to Sunday, October 20th at 3:00 PM, where the two teams would resume play.

The Gaels and the Ravens have met twice in the regular season, with their first game (September 6th) resulting in a 1-1- draw, and the second (September 15) seeing the Gaels victorious 1-0.  The two goal scorers for the Gaels were no. 18 Brinley Bjornson (Arts), and no. 9 Marissa Gravel (Life Sciences).  

The match began in a battle for control, both teams seeming to be struggling to find significant command of the ball.  At 15 minutes into the first half, no shots on goal had been attempted at either net, and the competition became a tense battle for ball possession.  With that, two corner kicks are allotted to the Gaels, though close, neither provide the girls an opportunity to take the lead.  

At the 24 minute mark, the Ravens take a shot on net which gets past Queen's goalie no. 1 Kirstin Tynan (Political and Health Studies, CIB).  Luckily for the Gaels, Carleton's goal is retracted after a foul is committed against Gaels defender no. 5 Clare Sun (Health Sciences) as she is shouldered to the ground by the Carleton goal scorer.  

With the goal retracted, this sets a fire in the Gaels as they find momentum on the field, dominating the ball.  With a breakaway by Mattson Strickler just past the middle of the field, Strickler is able to secure a goal for the Gaels, taking the lead in the 31st minute.  This provides the confidence the girls needed to continue the match against the aggressive Ravens, proving they are fierce competitors.

The Raven's quickly attempted to even out the score with a shot on net saved by Tynan in the 35th minute.  The Gaels maintained strength on the field defending their lead until the end of the first half, looking to add to their lead in the second half.  

With only 33 minutes of play in the second half, the match was delayed due to stadium light failures.  The match begins again at the 57th minute two days later on October 23rd at Richardson.  

Sunday afternoon on the pitch was a tense match as both teams were eager to resume play and win a spot to the quarterfinals.  The Gaels open up looking strong against their competitors, defensively attacking the Ravens to protect their one goal lead, and finding open spaces in front of the Ravens net to offensively challenge their goalie.  

With only two extra minutes of playing time left in the match, Bjornson scores a goal after a breakaway steal from a Carleton throw in, kicking the ball just past the reach of the goaltender.  

This victory over the Ravens propels the Gaels into the quarterfinals where they will face the Nipissing Lakers on Wednesday, October 23rd, on Nixon Field.  The last time the Gaels met the Lakers they lost in a close match 1-2.  The Lakers have locked a second place position in the OUA standings one game up from the Gaels regular season record of 8-3-1.

After the match, Brinley Bjornson exclaimed when asked about scoring the final goal of the match: "It was an amazing feeling. I felt like I had the team behind me supporting me. It's an amazing environment and an awesome energy to finish the game."  The Gaels have demonstrated a strong bond and teamwork throughout the season which have positively added to their success this season.  

Looking to their quarterfinal match on Wednesday, Bjornson explained the importance of mental preparation the Gaels employ into their pre-game rituals.  Alongside physical preparation early on in the week, she states "We work really hard as a team, and we focus in on finding a good mental space before matches."

Make sure to watch the Gaels quarterfinals match at Nixon field this upcoming Wednesday as they look to progress deeper into the playoffs.