TORONTO, ON – The Carleton Ravens have not made the 2023 OUA Playoffs easy, but they’ve returned to the final for the third time in five seasons. After defeating the Toronto Varsity Blues 1-0 in the final moments of regulation time in the quarterfinals, they needed penalty kicks after 1-1 to defeat the Brock Badgers in the penultimate round.
With the victory, they set up an OUA Final against the York Lions on Saturday at 3:00 pm ET at TAAG Park, the same team they won the 2019 OUA title against when they beat York 3-0 in Toronto. However, Carleton’s last championship final loss at home also came against York in a 3-1 loss in 2018.
Regardless of the final result, the Ravens clinched their spot at the 2023 U SPORTS Men’s Soccer Championships in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
Tyler David stopped three penalty kicks for the Ravens after a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes, powering them into the OUA Final for the first time since 2019 clinching their spot at the national tournament for the first time since they hosted in 2021.
The Badgers opened the scoring on Wednesday in the semifinal moments ahead of the half-hour mark, as Connor Carroll barrelled in a corner kick at the back post, finishing a tight corner that eluded David’s grasp as he came out to claim the ball.
While the 27th-minute opener marked the first attacking finish for Brock, the Badgers continued to press throughout the half while staying conservative with their backlines against Carleton’s potent counterattack.
However, the Badgers couldn’t test David with any shots on target for the remainder of the half.
Carleton controversially tied the match in the 53rd minute after pushing players forward and overloading Brock’s defensive responsibilities. Luca Ragagnin, Brock’s captain and veteran centreback, committed a foul on Daniel Assaf, who hit the deck, earning his side a penalty kick.
Luca Piccioli, who scored nine goals, including two penalties in 11 regular season matches, finished past Brock’s Taylor Miskolczi to bring his team level. And despite late chances from both sides, that goal eventually forced extra time and, in turn, kicks from the penalty spot.
Not wanting to make any mistakes, neither side produced much of an attacking threat through the extra time periods. However, Brock’s best chance came right off the second portion kickoff, sending a long ball and creating a weak shot on target, albeit from a high-expected scoring area.
In penalties, both sides scored their first two kicks before David made an astounding save out of the top corner to put the home side ahead, allowing Eric Yoeske to win the match for Carleton and clinch them a berth in the U SPORTS National Championship.
Yoeske is quickly writing himself a legendary story with the Ravens, having also scored the 1-0 late winner against Toronto to get them to the semifinal stage.
The No. 1 OUA East-ranked Ravens secured the rights to host the OUA Final, making a soccer-filled weekend in Ottawa, with the uOttawa Gee-Gees set to host the women’s OUA Final against the Queen’s Gaels.
The Ravens host the York Lions at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday, with tickets available here.