By Nashra Syed
The TMU Bold men’s soccer team won its fourth match in a row with a victory over the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues at Downsview Park on Oct. 6.
It was also senior night for the Bold’s graduating players and eight seniors were honoured before the match.
TMU celebrated senior night in style, capturing the clean sheet with the 3-0 win. It was an impactful way for the team to wrap up its slate of regular season home games at Downsview Park.
“It’s kind of emotional knowing that collegiate soccer and being on this team is coming to an end soon,” said fifth-year midfielder Faisal Ghaffur. “Hopefully we can finish off the season strong and give it all we’ve got.”
The Varsity Blues began the game with a near-goal that was stopped by keeper Ali Ghazanfari.
Following the opening minutes, the Bold were able to apply pressure to the Varsity Blues, maintaining possession throughout the first half.
A U of T attempt was cut off by Bold defender Mario McLennon’s deflection, keeping the Blues at bay.
TMU was hungry for a shot and Ghaffur’s cross-field pass to Kai Martin gave the Bold possession just before second-year McLennon went down and was awarded a penalty.
Midfielder Justin Santos used that opportunity to put the ball in the back of the net and give TMU a 1-0 advantage.
“We knew this was a rivalry game, we always love these games,” said Santos. “Whole day, thinking about this game. The energy was good from the warmup and we just performed well and got the result we wanted.”
The second half started off hot, with an assist from Luca DiMarco helping Santos pot his second goal of the game in the 47th minute. It was the second-year midfielder’s sixth goal in the last three matches.
“[Justin’s] work rate was good, his tackling was good, winning headers, I had to rub my eyes to ensure I was watching the right guy,” said head coach Filip Prostran. “Santos buried two goals and really made the difference.”
The Bold were inches away from another goal with Ghaffur’s shot in the goalpost.
A yellow card issued to Varsity Blues player Leo Nakabayashi earned the Bold a free kick, which was taken by Juan Pablo Delgadillo.
With pressure mounting and the squad eagerly putting balls on net, third-year Zakaria Abdi’s header was too far off the goal in an attempt to add to the scoreboard.
The Varsity Blues were aggressive in trying to find an opening, but were unable to get one.
TMU celebrated another goal in the 80th minute, this time from forward Karamvir Mehmi bringing their lead to 3-0.
The win at home was nice for the Bold, but now they’ll be on the road for their final five matches of the regular season. Prostran knows that losing the team’s home crowd won’t be easy as the team closes out the regular season.
“The guys have to find inspiration in being on the road and our backs against the wall,” said Prostran. “I think the guys are up for it.”
UP NEXT: The Bold hit the road for a rematch against the U of T Varsity Blues at Varsity Stadium on Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:15 p.m.
Leave a Reply