KINGSTON, Ont. - A strong start and a late push to close the game bookended a 4-1 victory for the Ryerson Rams men's soccer team as they defeated Queen's to open their 2019 season.

Rams captain Abdallah El-Chanti(Toronto) didn't waste any time finding his scoring touch, netting the game's opening goal in just the sixth minute of action.

Shortly after, first year Mansoor Afzaly(Toronto) converted a penalty kick to double Ryerson's lead to 2-0 in the 13th minute.

After a flurry of offence from the Rams early, it was Queen's who started to find their stride in the middle portion of the match. The Gaels finally struck in the 30th minute when Jason Cho headed home a crossing ball from Alie Day to cut Ryerson's lead in half.

The 2-1 Rams lead would hold heading into halftime.

In the second half it was Queen's with the strong start, forcing Rams goalkeeper Ali Ghazanfari (Stouffville, Ont.) to make three saves in the opening moments. Ghazanfari was up to the task on each attempt, keeping the Rams ahead.

His teammates rewarded him with some insurance in the late stages of the match as first year Luca Di Marco (Aurora, Ont.) scored his first OUA goal in the 83rd minute before El-Chanti scored his second of the match in the 90th. Di Marco assisted on the final tally, earning a goal and an assist in his Rams debut.

Ryerson, ranked sixth in the national rankings, will be back in action on Sunday, September 1st when they visit the RMC Paladins for a 3:15 p.m. kickoff.