The Gaels took down the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks 3-0 on Friday night at Richardson Stadium. As the Gaels' last regular season home game, this was their senior's night. They honored their seven graduating players: Connor Adams (Fine Art), Jacob Snelgrove (Kinesiology), Ian Ferguson (Arts & Science), Andrea Gortana (Business), Liam Pender (Business), Jadon Lashley (Fine Art), and Wil Calne (Arts & Science).
Queen's started the game looking comfortable on their home turf, earning themselves a corner in the first three minutes. Just six minutes in, second year Jacob Ball (Economics) scored off of a rebound to bring the Gaels the early lead. Queen's had their offense rolling, nearly scoring off a shot by Oluwatomisin Salako (Mathematics) that hit the post. A minute later, Ball came in to score their second goal off a great pass from fifth year Ferguson in the 27th minute. First year Krystian Golen (Economics) scored in the 38th minute of play, bringing the home team to a confident 3-0 lead as frustration built in the Ridgebacks. In the first half, the Gaels outshot the Ridgebacks 10 to 2 for shots on goal, looking dominant at home.
The intensity rose in the second half, as the Ridgebacks seemed to find some momentum. The teams remained scoreless, as the Gaels held their composure with their 3-0 lead. Queen's remained strong on defense, blocking many of Ontario Tech's shot attempts, while fifth year goalkeeper Adams saved any balls that managed to get through. Halfway through the second half, fifth year Gortana made a great shot, hitting the crossbar, but the Ridgebacks were able to clear the ball before the Gaels could put it in the net. Ultimately, after an intense second half, the Gaels came out on top with a 3-0 win.
Moving forward, the Gaels will face off against the Carelton Ravens on October 12th on the road for their last regular season game. With this win, they improve their record for the season to 5-5-1.
