TORONTO – The Ryerson Rams dropped a tough match to the Queen's Gaels Saturday afternoon at Downsview Park. The Gaels scored two back-to-back goals in the second half to take home the 2-0 win.

"The last time we played Queen's in Kingston it was a similar thing, just who can capitalize first," said head coach Natalie Bukovec. "They came out and two clear chances put them away."

The first half saw a lot of back and forth between both teams. The Gaels started with the ball, but it quickly became a passing match as both teams looked to get the advantage early on. 

The Rams dominated possession the first couple of minutes. Rams forward Alex Rodkin (Whitby, Ont.) had a spectacular chance a little over five minutes into the game but there was too much power on the kick and the ball hit the top of the net. 

Queen's would then increase their offensive pressure but no dice. Even after both teams made substitutions to increase offensive chances no goal would be scored. The defensive struggles by both teams did not help their chances either. The game would remain scoreless at the end of the first half. 

The Gaels seemed to have more energy coming into the second half as they controlled the ball, keeping the play boxed in the Rams' side of the field. That energy paid off as Gaels' freshman forward Jenna Matsukubo (Ottawa, Ont.) scored the first goal of the game on a breakaway at the 53-minute mark to give Queen's the lead. This is her second goal of the year, her first also coming against Ryerson back on Aug. 31.

Queen's increased the lead 10 minutes later as fellow freshman forward Cecilia Way (Victoria, B.C.) headed a high pass by Taylor Green (Fall River, N.S.) to give the Gaels a 2-0 lead. 

With less than 30 minutes left in the game the Rams needed to capitalize on their offensive chances, but nothing was able to reach the back of the net. As a result, the Gaels would take away the win in front of a big crowd. 

The Ryerson Rams are back in action on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 1:00 p.m. ET at Downsview Park against the RMC Paladins.

"RMC plays very different to Queen's," said Bukovec. "We will expect them to play two up top and give us a bit more freedom in the middle, so we'll definitely have more play in the centre of the park."