Ottawa Claim Third-Straight OUA Championship Over Lakers
By It was a day to make history no matter the outcome over the weekend as the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees hosted the Nipissing Lakers in the finals of the OUA Women’s soccer playoffs. With both sides placing first and second respectively in the OUA East Division and having met twice already this season in two exciting contests, it truly came down to the wire.
On one hand, the hosting Grey and Garnet sought their third-straight OUA title, a feat never seen before within the province since the trophy was first contested in 1984. On the other hand though, Nipissing – once a mid-table darling in their conference – were on the brink of securing their first ever provincial championship and had already secured their inaugural berth in the USports Championship.
Making it to this point saw both sides overcome serious challenges in their semi-final meetings last weekend. With the crossover of the OUA West and East occurring at that stage of the playoffs, the Gee-Gees hosted the Guelph Gryphons and ultimately took them down in a penalty shootout after Allana Oriente levelled the match in the second half. Oppositely, it took the Lakers 93 minutes to dispatch the York Lions at home as Cassidy Brooks played the hero with a brace in the second half’s added time.
The Gee-Gees, looking to gain the momentum in front of a home crowd of over 400 fans, fell early on once again this playoffs as the Lakers capitalized on a series of defensive errors by the homeside. With Maya Smith giving up possession around the 25-yard mark of the pitch, Nipissing quickly played off of that ball with the team’s goals leader Cassidy Brooks tipping it off to a sprinting Annika Nolte. With a few dribbles towards the top left corner of the penalty area, Nolte’s left-footed cross found a soaring Brooks whose header easily beat a helpless Cassidy Joslin in net.
Not ones to be easily deterred, the Gee-Gees quickly regrouped in order to return the match to a level standing. Speaking after the game, uOttawa Head Coach Steve Johnson touched on how he kept his group on task during the intermission after having gone down early in the match. “We just sort of clarified what Nipissing was doing and how we wanted to counter it,” said Johnson. “They are a good squad and they came at you relentlessly… we matched them in terms of grit.”
This grit was then presented less than twenty minutes later as the Gee-Gees drew the score back up thanks to the head of the OUA Player of the Year, Cassandra Provost. With the host’s tried and true tactic of developing their offence from their back line, quick passes between Rosalie Côté and Katie Brzozowski would eventually find a breaking Allana Oriente on the right side. An in-swinging cross towards Provost at the top of the goal area would require just two touches by the Golden Boot winner to send it over the hands of Lakers keeper Hayden Hanley.
In what will be her final match at the Matt Anthony Field wearing the uOttawa crest, it was a special occasion indeed for the Acton Vale, Québec native, a moment capped off by a play seen time and time again by those who follow the Gee-Gees. When asked about the dynamic between herself and teammate/play-maker Oriente, Provost praised the winger and their history together. “I’ve known Allana for a long time as when we were younger, we played against each other,” the MVP said whilst wearing her OUA Champions hat. “This is a connection we’ve built over the years … the chemistry between us is there and it’s always fun.”
This equalizer by Ottawa opened the floodgates and Johnson’s side refused to look back. Just three minutes later and they would take a 2-1 lead after Jenna Matsakubo was taken down in the box by defender Alieya Pires. With proven penalty kicker Nibo Dlamini lining up to convert the shot as she has several times before this season, keeper Hanley did not even attempt a block as the midfielder placed the ball at mid-height, just beside the right post to take the lead.
Come the second half and the game would stay in the Gee-Gees’ favour with them reclaiming their one-goal lead after having the tying goal come from a sensational volley goal by Cassidy Brooks in the 58′, completing her brace. But just six minutes later and it would be Jenna Matsakubo who netted her third of the post-season with a powerful right-footed strike over the hands of Hanley. With elation plastered to her face, Matsakubo’s goal would ultimately prove to be the game winner in her final match for the uO program.
Lead in hand, the Gee-Gees would top off their win with an insurance goal in the final seven minutes of the match courtesy of Élianne Gervais. Despite an unrelenting push by a strong Nipissing offence led by Brooks and Jessica Emmerton, after a fast break by rookie defender Ava Donohue down the left-field line, Gervais would capitalize on a series of failed clearances by the defending Lakers and claimed the opposite corner for her eighth goal of 2024.
Upon the final whistle, despite the result of match and the silver medals dangling around their necks, there was plenty to celebrate for this surprise side in the Nipissing Lakers. When asked to reflect on the 2024 season with his side, North Bay’s Gaffer David Bitonti was proud of the accomplishments achieved by his side and the work they’ve done.
“We came together early in the season with a goal and plan in mind,” lauded Bitonti, after having led his side to a 9W-3L record plus three stellar playoff performances. “I give full credit to the girls and now we turn our sights to Halifax, reset and regroup, and will keep doing the things that made us successful to this point.”
With both teams flying out to Halifax, Nova Scotia in a few days time, their eyes now rest solely on their competition from across the nation, representing the best in women’s footy in Canada. Joining the Gee-Gees and Lakers at the USports Women’s Soccer National Championships at Dalhousie University are:
–AUS Champions: CBU Capers (Finals 2-0W vs UNB Reds)
–AUS: Dalhousie Tigers (Hosts)
–RSEQ Champions: Laval Rouge et Or (Finals 1-1W on Penalties vs Montréal Carabins)
-Canada West Champions: UBC Thunderbirds (Finals 3-0W vs Victoria Vikes)
-Canada West Runners-Up: Victoria Vikes
-Canada West 3rd Place: Trinity Western Spartans (Bronze Medal 3-2W vs Calgary Dinos)
All matches of the 2024 USports National tournament – which will take place from November 7-10 – will be streamed live on CBC Gem and on the CBC Sports Youtube channel. Fans in the Halifax Metropolitan Area can purchase tickets for the tournament online, here.
Author’s Note: The interview with uOttawa’s Cassandra Provost was conducted in French and translated to English for the purposes of this article.
Header Image Credit: Tim Austen (IG: @TimAustenPhotography