PREVIEW: #3 Women’s soccer face stiff test in #7 Queen’s, #9 York

The Gee-Gees women's soccer team are staring down their toughest weekend of the season, as they'll receive the seventh-ranked Queen's Gaels Friday evening at Matt Anthony Field and then travel to play the ninth-ranked York Lions Sunday afternoon.

Tickets for Friday's crucial home game are on sale at tickets.geegees.ca. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

Ottawa have been on cruise control this season, only dropping points in a 1-1 draw with Carleton on Thanksgiving Monday. The Gee-Gees have found the back of the net 33 times this season – by far the most in the OUA – and have conceded on just three occasions.

A convincing win against RMC and a 3-1 result against Ontario Tech has uOttawa coming into the weekend on a high, but head coach Steve Johnson is aware this is a key weekend for the team. 

"It's tough with not a lot of time to turnaround", said Johnson, whose program is currently ranked number four in the country. "The timing of how we coordinate things this week is going to be important. Queen's is fresh and it's going to be a big game."

Queen's has proven to the among the best teams in the country thus far in 2021. They are a perfect 6-0-0 and have had to pick the ball out of the back of their own net just once. However, the combined record of the Gaels opponents this season is 4-20-3, so Ottawa will prove to be their first true test this year. 

Christie Gray and Cecilia Way pace the Gaels with five goals apiece, while Jenna Matsukubo and Raya Athwal have both scored four times.

Meanwhile, Emma Lefebvre of the Gee-Gees is first in the conference with 11 goals in seven matches, and Cassandra Provost's six goals put her in a tie for second.

"We're so happy to have her back this year," Johnson said of Lefebvre, who was named the U SPORTS Female Athlete of the Week earlier in October. "It was a late decision on her part to come back [for a fifth season]. She's got a work rate that's second-to-none. She really leads the line for us up front."

The Lions are no pushovers either, having gone unbeaten since a resounding 4-0 defeat in the season opener to Ottawa. Kalifornia Mitchell is a key midfielder for York and leads her side with three goals.

To guarantee themselves a playoff spot, a team needs to finish among the top two in their division, so this weekend is crucial for Ottawa's playoff aspirations. Two of the top third place teams also qualify for the postseason.

Tickets for Friday's game and all uOttawa varsity events must be purchased beforehand at tickets.geegees.ca. Fans planning on attending an event are encouraged to read the Tickets and Gameday Information document, which includes pertinent health and safety measures. The document can be found HERE.

All matches will be streamed on OUA.tv.