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Home > Articles > Intercollegiate Sport > Gaels dump RMC; will host No. 1-ranked Gee-Gees Saturday
Gaels dump RMC; will host No. 1-ranked Gee-Gees Saturday
Posted: October 2nd, 2013 @ 11:32pm
By CLAUDE SCILLEY
Queen's Golden Gaels looked pretty sharp Wednesday night, but it's not how his team is playing at the beginning of October that most interests coach Dave McDowell.
"The goal as always is to be healthy and playing your best at the end of October," McDowell said, "and we're working hard at doing that. Staying the course, as we say. We're trying not to panic too early."
It would be difficult to see much about which to panic with the Gaels, the defending national silver medalists who defeated the Royal Military College Paladins 8-0 last night. Queen's has lost just one of its 10 Ontario University Athletics games and is ranked seventh in Canada, despite a rash of injuries to what McDowelll calls "senior impact players."
"We knew we'd have some young players playing lots of minutes for us, to replace some of the players we graduated but also with the incredible number of injuries we've had," McDowell said.
"They've done a super job and I think that experience is starting to show through in terms of elevating their games to the next level."
Among those first-year players are striker Tara Bartram, midfielder Rachel Radu, middle backs Kyra Steer and Micah Vermeer and goalkeeper Michaila Frawley, who earned Wednesday night's shutout.
"They're very talented and learning to get better," McDowell said. "It's a bit of a step sometimes, learning what strengths you can take from your younger days. What you're allowed to do as a kid and what you can do here sometimes can be little bit different. They're learning that and I thought it was a pretty good display (tonight) in terms of attacking soccer."
As the new players learn what they are capable of at the intercollegiate level, so, too, does the coach in terms of what is realistic to expect of them.
"You recruit them and you see things in them that are exciting and you think, 'Yeah, we can work with that,'" McDowell said. "Then you get them here and you try and grow their strengths and make their weaknesses stronger, too."
Veterans Riley Filion, Breanna Burton and Monique Czaczkowski each scored two goals for the Gaels Wednesday. Radu and Brittany Almeida scored the others.
For Almeida, the second-year striker from Elginburg via Regiopolis Notre Dame, it was the second goal of the season.
"She had a great game today," McDowell said. "She was hurt for about a week, so we weren't sure if she was going to be able to go, but I thought she was very good. She scored a terrific goal.
"(She has) loads of skill - she's so talented. It's sometimes jaw-dropping, some of the things she does. She does things other players can't do."
The Gaels, 6-1-3, resume play Saturday at noon on the upper west campus field when they will host the East division-leading Ottawa Gee-Gees. The No. 1-ranked team in Canada, Ottawa will come to Kingston with an undefeated record (8-0-2) that includes a scoreless draw with Queen's Sept. 7.
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