The Gaels were in complete control from the outset of their Saturday matchup against the RMC Paladins at Navy Bay. 

The first half was tame, ending with the score at 1-0 in favour of Queen’s. Rookie striker Cecilia Way got her day underway with the game’s opening goal, a quick turnaround shot that eluded an overwhelmed RMC goalie.

In the second half, however, the women poured it on, tallying four goals. Way scored at the 49- and 60-minute marks to complete her first career hat trick. 

Alexandra Doane put one in to make it 4-0, before Way finished one last strike at the end of the game to momentarily make her the OUA’s top goal scorer.

RMC struggled to get the ball over half, and didn’t manage to register a shot all day.

“I think it’s a pretty dynamic group who have really bought into the team belief,” said Head Coach Dave McDowell in an interview with The Journal after the win.

“We’ve had huge contributions from some of our younger players, our first-year players, and then some tremendous leadership from our older kids, so that combination has been really good.”

Way and fellow rookie Jenna Matsukubo have scored nine goals between them in the season’s first five games, and Matsukubo has also chipped in a pair of assists. 

But McDowell doesn’t want to let the early success get in his Gaels’ heads, citing consistency of focus as a point of emphasis: “We just want to make sure there’s no drop off, and no drop off after we score. If we maintain the same balance in terms of approach to the game throughout the game, I think it’s going to be pretty good.”

Miraculously, despite Queen’s 4-0-1 start, they haven’t made it into the national rankings. The University of Ottawa sits first on the leaderboard despite having had an easier schedule than Queen’s thus far.

The Gaels will host a winless Carleton team next Saturday before squaring up with the GeeGees in a heavyweight battle between two programs that remain undefeated a third of the way through the season.