By Chris Sanders
The Ryerson Rams men’s soccer extends their win streak to five after annihilating the Trent Excalibur 4-0 at Downsview Park on Sept. 13.
It was Rams striker Muaz Saleh that would set the tone of the game early, scoring in the first 48 seconds with a clinical chip over goalkeeper Jacob McPhee to make it 1-0.
Much of the same would ensue in the first half, with Saleh making his presence felt, breaking through the Excalibur back-line with ease and physically overwhelming presence.
“[Saleh] has been getting better every single year,” said Rams head coach Filip Prostran. “Physically he’s just an athletic freak; he’s fast, strong and athletic. He can do everything.”
The Saleh show wouldn’t stop there, as he scored his second goal of the match off a thunderous header in the 20th minute. Saleh now leads the province in scoring with five goals to start the year.
“It feels good but I can’t get distracted by the amount of goals, I score,” said Saleh. “We have one business: to get to the OUA finals.”
Ryerson’s undefeated start to the season comes against three winless Ontario University Athletics (OUA) teams. After the game, Saleh acknowledged the potential issues that come with playing inferior competition early into their campaign.
“We cannot get complacent when it comes to playing teams like Trent and RMC… because if we do, then they can get the better of us,” said Saleh.
Ryerson’s momentum carried into the second half and was evident when midfielder Aryan Hakim scored his second goal in as many games, picking up a pass before burying the Rams’ third goal of the night.
Seconds later, none other than Saleh, would nearly complete his hat-trick, firing a bullet inside the 18-yard box, but it wasn’t enough to beat Trent’s goalie.
Fourth-year Rams midfielder Venizelos Koutsoulianous would cap off the scoring sheet with Ryerson’s fourth goal in the 67th as the officials would call off the game in the 75th minute due to the weather conditions of thunder and lightning.
“It wasn’t a great performance, it was okay,” said Prostran. “All-in-all job complete.”
The Rams currently sit first in the OUA standings with 15 points and 16 goals scored through five games.
UP NEXT: The Rams will welcome Ontario Tech to Downsview Park on Sunday
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