An inefficient offence caused Queen’s to lose out on points in the OUA East standings.

The Gaels (3-1-1) couldn’t tally a single goal over two games this weekend. On Saturday, the squad took part in a scoreless draw on the road with the Trent Excalibur (1-3-1) before losing 1-0 to the UOIT Ridgebacks (5-0-1) at home the next day, garnering only one of six points up for grabs.

Head coach Dave McDowell said the Gaels’ lack of finish played a big role in the weekend’s games.

“It’s disappointing from a results standpoint to drop points against Trent, which is a much improved team to be honest,” he said. “To outshoot them as much as we did and yet not be able to score was difficult. It was just one of those days where you leave just shaking your head that we couldn’t put one in.”

The Gaels’ offence dominated in the Trent game, outshooting the Excalibur to the tune of 15-4. That said, Queen’s wasn’t able to convert on any chances, while Gaels keeper Madison Tyrell kept out what little she faced.

The match with UOIT saw much of the same, as the game tended to centre around the midfield, with neither team claiming too much of an advantage early.

Late in the opening frame, the Ridgebacks started to pull away from Queen’s, creating a few solid chances that sailed either just high or just wide of the net.

“I thought the first half was a very good half,” McDowell said. “I thought we played well 30, 35 minutes. The second half, I thought they were a wee bit better.”

The second half looked fairly similar to the opening 45 minutes. The game once again became focused around possession in the middle of the field.

In the 66th minute, Gaels defender Alexandra Blanchard committed a foul in the box, setting up a UOIT penalty kick. Ridgebacks striker Shannon Lucas made no mistake on the chance, firing the ball past Tyrell. The marker was the first she’d conceded so far this season.

Any chances Queen’s had for the rest of the game were long shots UOIT keeper Melissa Linton easily turned aside. Unable to tie the game, the Gaels lost for the first time this year.

McDowell saw certain benefits from playing a strong squad like the Ridgebacks, who sit second in the OUA East.

“I think we learned some things. UOIT is probably the best team we’ve played yet,” he said. “[We] needed to see a team at that level to see where we were and where we needed to be.”

The Gaels struggled with injuries as several major contributors sat out the weekend’s matches.

Queen’s next games see them travel to face the Ryerson Rams (0-5-0) and the Toronto Varsity Blues (3-1-1) this weekend.