OSHAWA – Kairo Coore’s penalty kick in the 37th minute was all the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks needed to defeat the Trent Excalibur 1-0 in OUA men’s soccer action on Sunday.
Coore (Whitby, Ont.) was tackled inside the box, and the fifth-year forward curved the ball into the top left corner past Excalibur goalkeeper Owen Shultz (Peterborough, Ont.).
The Ridgebacks (4-3-1) dominated possession, launching 13 shots towards the Trent goal, with five hitting the net.
Ridgebacks’ goalkeeper Owen Edwards (Richmond Hill, Ont.) picked up the clean sheet after saving the only Trent shot on goal, with three others missing the net entirely.
Sunday afternoon’s game was certainly a physical one.
Ontario Tech committed six fouls and two yellow cards that went to midfielders Noah Mossavat (Maple, Ont.) and Matthew Keeler (Thunder Bay, Ont.). Trent was called for 10 fouls, including three yellow cards, and were involved in two big collisions with the third year Ontario Tech keeper.
The cards were assigned to Trent forward Warren Chambers, midfielder Logan Forster (Whitby, Ont.), and defender Ainsley Bryan (Mississauga, Ont.).
Ridgebacks have now won two-straight games after Sunday’s result, and a 5-2 victory in Peterborough on Friday.
Their weekend sweep of Trent ended an 0-3-1 stretch for the club, and put them over .500 for the first time since starting 2-0 in the first week of September.
Ontario Tech opened the 2024 season as the ninth-Ranked USPORTS soccer program in Canada, but as of September 23, they are ranked 16th.
The Ridgebacks remain in sixth place in the OUA East Division, and at 13 points, they sit one point behind the Nipissing Lakers and TMU Bold.
With the win, Ontario Tech extended their winning streak against Trent to 11 straight, and improved its overall record against the Excalibur to 16-0-3. The streak dates back to Sept. 19, 2018, and will remain intact until next season, as Sunday’s match was their final game against Trent this season.
The Ridgebacks have four games remaining in their regular season, and will return to action on Oct. 5, when they host the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.
