WEEKEND RECAP: #2 Gee-Gees defeat Trent, #7 Queen’s in perfect home weekend

The nationally second-ranked Gee-Gees women's soccer team had a stellar weekend at home, securing a decisive 6-0 victory over Trent on Friday night and a hard-fought 1-0 win against rival #7 Queen's on Sunday afternoon at Matt Anthony Field.

In the first game of the weekend, the Ottawa flexed their offensive muscles for a dominant win. Cassandra Provost (17', 25') and Allana Oriente (23', 72') each scored twice, while Élianne Gervais (45') and Sabrina Mangiaracina (47') added one goal apiece.

Against Queen's, it was the stalemate that has been signature of one of the best soccer rivalries in the nation with neither team able to break through in the first 37 minutes of action.

The breakthrough came when Jenna Matsukubo earned a corner against her former team, setting up Nibo Dlamini's perfectly placed ball that Maya Smith headed home for the game's only goal.

"It's always a tough game against Queen's," said Smith. "It felt great [to get the win]. We had to hold on a bit when they were coming with the pressure, but we did a good job and held our composure."

Despite a handful of opportunities for both sides, the Gee-Gees were able to dictate the pace through much of the afternoon.

Late in the match, when Queen's upped their attacking pressure, Ottawa keeper Cassidy Joslin rose to the occasion with key saves to keep her team in front. In stoppage time, Joslin laid out for a diving save that ultimately secured the win for the Gee-Gees.

"Great performance from our players, they met the moment," said Ottawa head coach Steve Johnson. "I thought we were really good defensively, really resilient against Queen's attacks."

With the win, Ottawa improves to 3-0-0 and is tied with Nipissing atop the OUA East standings. Queen's, after drawing with Carleton on Friday night and losing to the Gee-Gees on Sunday, concludes a challenging weekend in the Nation's Capital.

The two sides will meet again down the road in Kingston, fittingly, in the grand finale of the regular season on Oct. 13 at Richardson Stadium.