TORONTO - The Ryerson Rams men's soccer team is set to play their last two games of the regular season this weekend.
Coming off of their huge win against the No. 2 ranked Carleton Ravens last weekend, the team has now won four consecutive games and are looking to finish the season strong for crucial playoff seeding. This weekend's opponents, however, are looking to do the same.
Saturday's match will be a rematch against U SPORTS powerhouse Carleton, who will be playing on their home field and will be looking to make a statement before the start of playoffs. The race for OUA East top two (which secures a bye in the OUA playoffs) is still up for grabs, with the Rams, Ravens, and Varsity Blues still in contention for those spots. Similar to last week, the Rams will look to shut down Ravens forward Gabriel Bitar, who was selected first overall by Calvary FC in the Canadian Premier League U SPORTS draft earlier this year.
In Sunday's match the Rams will face the Nipissing Lakers at Downsview Park. The Lakers, who are currently sitting just inside the playoff-qualifying top six, will be motivated to secure a playoff position with a strong showing against the Rams. The Rams surely will not underestimate the Lakers, having beaten them just 2-1 only a few weeks ago.
Having displayed a very strong season so far, the playoffs are just around the corner and the Rams will look to carry their current momentum into this weekend and in the playoffs going forward. Look for in-form
Kyle Laborde-Ayres (Scarborough, Ont.) to once again be a handful for this weekend's opposing defence. Veteran players such as Rams goalkeeper
Ali Ghazanfari (Stouffville, Ont.) and forward
Abdallah El-Chanti (Toronto) will hope to play key roles and will be looked upon for big-game performances, as they often deliver in the biggest of games.
The Rams will play at 3:30 p.m. this Saturday at MNP Park and at 3 p.m. this Sunday at Downsview Park.