By Martin Cleary
If you’re a fan of university sports, particularly following the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees and/or the Carleton University Ravens, this past weekend was filled with more disappointment than celebration.
The Gee-Gees’ football team appeared to be improving its OUA record to 3-2 with a late upset win, but lost to the highly-ranked University of Windsor Lancers in the dying seconds.
The Ravens scored more than enough points to win, thanks to 14-point outbursts in the first and fourth quarters, but fell two points shy of a critical victory to the McMaster University Marauders.
On the soccer pitch, the undefeated Gee-Gees women’s squad suffered its first OUA regular-season defeat in two years to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, but rebounded to turn back Toronto Metropolitan University Bold.
The Ravens women’s soccer team played only once and tied the Varsity Blues, but fell two places in the East Division standings.
The No. 1-ranked Carleton men’s soccer team had its six-game winning streak halted with a pair of lowing-scoring ties with the Varsity Blues and the Bold.
The weekend was partially saved by the women’s and men’s rugby teams, which play in the Quebec-based RSEQ.
The Gee-Gee women strengthened their first-place record to 5-0 with a 10-try performance, while the Ravens earned their first win with an impressive showing.
On the men’s side, Ottawa captured its third consecutive victory with a 18-point decision, but Carleton suffered a mid-season shellacking.
In football, a 13-yard touchdown dash by running back Charles Asselin with 32 seconds remaining earned the Gee-Gees their first lead of the game, 18-14, against the No. 6 Lancers. Victory seemed well at hand.
But Windsor quarterback Danny Skelton used the tight timeframe well, capping a five-play, 65-yard drive by watching Liam Talbot sprint 25 yards for the winning touchdown. Brady Lidster kicked the convert.
The painful loss left the Gee-Gees tied for sixth place with McMaster at 2-3. The Gee-Gees will visit the No. 1-ranked Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks on Saturday.
Romeo Lussier scored the Gee-Gees’ other touchdown on a 12-yard pass from quarterback Josh Janssen. Zach Copeland kicked a 31-yard field goal, two converts and one single.
Asselin carried the ball 15 times for 83 yards. Patrick Cumberbatch sparked the Gee-Gees on defence with six solo and four assisted tackles.
Trailing 33-20 after three quarters, the Ravens made a valiant effort to avoid their fourth loss in five games, but couldn’t earn their second win with another field goal or touchdown. The visiting Marauders eked out a 36-34 decision that pushed the Ravens into a tie for ninth place at 1-4.
Ethan Rocha, Tristan Ready and Kaseem Ferdinand recorded the Carleton touchdowns, while Brandon Forcier converted all three and kicked field goals from 22, 33 and 21 yards. The Ravens also were credited with two team safeties in the final two minutes.
Carleton will play host to the York University Lions on Saturday and a victory is imperative for the Ravens’ playoff hopes. It won’t be easy as the Lions posted their first on-field victory since Oct. 11, 2019 with a 19-17 win over the University of Toronto in the 54th Red and Blue Bowl.
The Lions’ only other victory in almost five years was a forfeit win over McMaster on Sept. 3, 2022. York’s win was especially satisfying for linebacker Ryan Bifolchi and defensive lineman Kevin Catulusi, who are both from Ottawa, and defensive back Scott Bauwhuis of Kars, ON.
Since 2019, the Lions have a record of three wins and 31 losses.
In women’s soccer, the unbeaten Gee-Gees lost 1-0 to the University of Toronto on Saturday for their first OUA regular-season defeat in more than two years. The last time the Gee-Gees fell in the OUA regular season was to Toronto by the same score.
But the Gee-Gees rebounded for a 4-1 decision over Toronto Metropolitan, which allowed them to maintain their No. 2 U Sports ranking.
Defender Maya Smith had a surprising two-goal effort in the first 21 minutes, while single goals were counted by Jenna Matsukubo and Cassandra Provost, who has seven on the season.
“I’m not usually one to score, so two today felt really good, especially after the loss,” Smith said following the game.
The Gee-Gees are scheduled to play their final OUA regular-season home game on Friday against the Nipissing University Lakers. Both teams are tied for first place in the East Division at 6-1.
The Varsity Blues held a 2-0 halftime lead over Carleton on Friday, but the Ravens bounced back in the final 45 minutes to earn the draw on goals by Mikayla Moser and Quinn Snell.
A pair of 1-1 ties dropped the Carleton men’s soccer team two spots in the U Sports rankings to No. 3 from No. 1.
The Ravens, who scored an average of four goals and allowed only 0.5 goals in their first six games, could manage only one marker against Toronto and Toronto Metropolitan. Ousman Maheshe had the Carleton goal against Toronto and Eric Yoseke counted the Ravens’ goal in the Toronto Metropolitan game. Maheshe assisted on Yoseke’s goal.
In women’s rugby, Ottawa, 5-0, raced for 10 tries in a 66-3 decision over Bishop’s University Gaiters. Anna Dodge and Alysia Comtois counted three tries apiece, while Fiona Day, Sophie McDonald, Ngozi Mosindi and Leigha Stiles had one try each. Aurora Bowie kicked six converts and Victoria Hough contributed two converts.
Sierra Hasse’s two tries lifted Carleton, 1-2-1, past McGill University Martlets 32-17. The other Ravens tries came from Carolyn Forster, Esa Hobbs, Grace Rhodes and Jayden Spence, while McKenna Taylor kicked one convert.
The Gee-Gees men’s rugby team improved its first-place record to 3-0 with a 45-27 victory over Bishop’s. Glenn Roy led Ottawa with a try and five converts, while Evan Roy had two tries, and single tries went to Matthew Robinson, Connor Billo, Zachary Auger and Jamie Armstrong.
McGill kept pace with the Gee-Gees at 3-0, following an 85-0 win over Carleton, 0-2.
Ottawa will host the Canadian university men’s rugby championship from Nov. 13-17.
6-TD EFFORT FOR TABOR ACADEMY’S HUGO DJEUMENI
Ottawa’s Hugo Djeumeni is at it again for the Tabor Academy Seawolves in Marion, Massachusetts.
The former St. Matthew Catholic High School student-athlete was named Tabor’s offensive player of the week, after he rushed for 292 yards on 27 carries and all six touchdowns for the Seawolves.
Djeumeni’s electrifying effort earned him a Star-of-the-Week honour from the Boston Herald newspaper.
In his 2023 debut season with Tabor, he ran for 2,026 yards, caught passes for another 327 yards and scored 32 touchdowns. He led New England in rushing yardage, was the Independent School League co-MVP and the co-winner of the New England player of the year.
Earlier this year, Djeumeni committed to attend Yale University in 2025.
CANADA ARMY RUN MEMORABLE FOR MEN’S WINNER DANIEL RIBI
Ottawa’s Daniel Ribi made his Canada Army Run debut a winning one as he captured first place in the men’s half-marathon in one hour, 14 minutes, seven seconds.
Stuart Macpherson of Petawawa, ON., was second in 1:15:40, while David Massicotte-Azaniouch of Ottawa placed third in 1:16:24.
Meghan Foottit of Nepean was the women’s half-marathon champion in a commanding 1:23:46. The other two podium steps were filled by runner-up Lily Jones of Ottawa in 1:30:35 and Katie Cullwick of Ottawa in 1:30:37.
Martin Harding won the men’s 10-kilometre test in 34:00, while female runners took the next two spots in the overall standings – Emily Setlack of Trenton, ON., in 34:34, and Nadine Frost Corinaldi of Ottawa in 35:19.
The five-kilometre race winners were Charlie Mortimer of Ottawa in 15:53, and Caroline Hudon of Wentworth Nord in 18:07.
CARLETON PLACE CANOEISTS GOLDEN AT OLYMPIC HOPES REGATTA
Carleton Place Canoe Club’s Isabel Lowry and Abbigail Haines combined for five medals and played a major role in Canada finishing second in the overall medal standings at the Olympic Hopes Regatta in Szeged, Hungary.
Lowry shared a pair of gold medals in the women’s U17 C4 division. She was in a boat with Canadian teammates Megan Thompson, Haines and Amelia Laliberte for the win over 500 metres. The 200-metre, gold-medal crew was Laliberte, Emerson Eisener, Victoria Tran and Lowry.
Canada won the women’s U17 500-metre race in 1:56.90, which was 2.50 seconds ahead of Poland and the 200-metre race in 43.52 seconds, which was 1.90 seconds better than France.
Individually, Haines won the women’s U16 200-metre gold medal in 48.20 seconds, while Lowry placed third in 48.97 seconds for the bronze.
Haines also placed fifth in the women’s U16 C2 500 metres with Tran.
Powerhouse Hungary finished first in the medal table with 14 gold, 15 silver and 10 bronze for a total of 39 medals. Canada placed second overall based on gold medals won at eight and fourth overall with 15 medals, including four silver and three bronze.
STRONG RESULTS FOR OTTAWA CYCLERY RACING PAIR
Ottawa’s Cyclery Racing placed two riders in the top 15 in both the road and individual time trial races at the women’s Tour de Gatineau.
Skyler Goudswaard was 12th overall in the 120-kilometre road race in two hours, 57 minutes, 2 seconds, while Cyclery teammate Lucy Hempstead was 15th with the same time.
In the individual time trial, Hempstead was 12th in 28:57.77 and Goudswaard was 14th in 29:03.21.
AVA ACRES, NICHOLAS ROWE WIN SHORTY JENKINS JUNIOR TITLES
City and regional rinks competed in all four age-group championship finals at the Shorty Jenkins junior curling classic in Cornwall and emerged with two titles.
Ava Acres of the RCMP Curling Club won four round-robin and two playoff matches, including a 6-1 decision over Toronto High Park Curling Club’s Madeleine Garrie in the women’s U18 final.
Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club’s Nicholas Rowe defeated Raphael Tremblay of Grand-Mere Curling Club 7-3 to win the men’s U20 championship game. The Rowe rink was second in the round robin at 3-1 and captured two playoff games.
Jolianne Fortin of Kenogami-Jonquiere defeated Dominique Vivier of Navan 9-4 in the women’s U20 final, while Nathan Jewell of Acton, ON., turned back Aaron Benning of North Grenville, ON, 6-2 in the men’s U18 gold-medal game.
LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST
• Alexandria Ellis of the Barrhaven Scottish, Pamphinette Buisa of the Ottawa Irish and University of Ottawa Gee-Gees product Claire Gallagher have been named to the Canadian team for the WXV1 women’s international rugby tournament in Vancouver, which starts Sept. 29 against France.
• Derek Gee of Osgoode, ON., finished 22nd in the men’s individual time trial at the world road cycling championships in Zurich, Switzerland, while Joey Desjardins of Hawkesbury, ON., was fifth in the men’s H3 for hand cycling.
• The Ottawa Sooners improved their Ontario Junior Conference football record to 4-2, after a 29-2 win over the Hamilton Hurricanes.
• The Ottawa Junior Riders head into a Quebec Major Junior Football League bye week, after a 21-18 home loss to Les Loups du Nord.
• Capital Wave product Brooklyn Plomp helped Canada to a 12th-place performance at the 2024 World Aquatics Women’s U18 Water Polo Championships, held Sept. 15-22 in China. The 17-year-old is now set to start her NCAA career at Long Beach State University.
Martin Cleary has written about amateur sports for over 52 years. A past Canadian sportswriter of the year and Ottawa Sports Awards Lifetime Achievement in Sport Media honouree, Martin retired from full-time work at the Ottawa Citizen in 2012, but continued to write a bi-weekly “High Achievers” column for the Citizen/Sun.
When the pandemic struck, Martin created the High Achievers “Stay-Safe Edition” to provide some positive news during tough times, via his Twitter account at first and now here at OttawaSportsPages.ca.
Martin can be reached by e-mail at martincleary51@gmail.com and on Twitter @martincleary.
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